IFWJ supports the ongoing struggle of Jagran and Strike call of Rashtriya Sahara employees

Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) and its affiliate Delhi Union of Working Journalists (DUWJ) have extended unflinching support to the struggling employees of Dainik Jagran and striking employees of Rashtriya Sahara. In a joint statement, the IFWJ Secretary General Parmanand Pandey and the General Secretary of the DUWJ Chandan Rai have denounced the anti-labour, exploitative and dictatorial managements of Dainik Jagran and Rashtriya Sahara.

It may be noted that the management of Dainik Jagran has been indulging into unethical and illegal arm-twisting of employees to muzzle their genuine demands of employees. Known for its repressive policies against the employees, the Jagran Management has not been allowing the employees even to form their own legitimate workers’ union. The employees of Dainik Jagran, however, deserve to be congratulated for their rocklike unity and peaceful agitation, which they have been carrying on for the last many days. The Jagran management has been denying the Majithia Award to its employees despite the clear direction of the Supreme Court, which was given to the management on its own petition vide W.P.(C) 546/2011. So much so, the tyrannical management has not paid the annual increments to most of its employees.

The Jagran Prakashan Ltd. Employees Union of NOIDA initially registered its protest with the management but the insolent management did not pay any heed to the demands. The employees then lodged their complaint with the Deputy Labour Commissioner of NOIDA but the adamant management did not agree to meet even the genuine demands of the employees. The employees then decided to tie black badges in protest against the highhandedness of the management. The IFWJ and DUWJ have urged the Government of Uttar Pradesh to immediately intervene in the matter and ask the Jagran management to see to the reason and accept the genuine demands of the workers without further delay.

The employees of Rashtriya Sahara, who have been undergoing hardship for non-payment their wages for so many have rightly decided to strike the work in the newspaper and its news channel because there was no other course left for them. Significantly, employees of the Sahara group have been very loyal to the owner of newspaper but there is always a limit to any tolerance. The Rashtriya Sahara management has always defied the law of the land and imposed its own set outrageous laws and rules for the employees but how long it can work when their bellies are empty? 

IFWJ and the DUWJ wonder with shock why the governments at the Centre and the States are maintaining the dubious silence over the illegality after illegality of the Rashtriya Sahara, which has the obvious disdain for the rules and regulations. It appears that the governments are brazenly taking side of the exploiters vis-à-vis the employees of Rashtriya Sahara.  Pandey and Rai have also asked the governments in the States and at the Centre to prevail upon the management of the Rashtriya Sahara to immediately pay the wages of the employees of Rashtriya Sahara.

Ram P. Yadav
Secretary-IFWJ