New Delhi, 1st May. Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) has warned the media houses who are resorting to illegal retrenchment of the employees and cutting their wages during the Corona crisis. The IFWJ has asked the Union and other State Governments to ensure that the rights and interests of the media employees are fully protected.
The IFWJ today held a meeting of its office bearers and other senior journalists through video conferencing, which was participated by more than 40 functionaries from all over the country The meeting was inaugurated by the Labour Minister of Uttar Pradesh Swami Prasad Maurya, who promised that no stone will be left unturned by the State Government in protecting the interests of journalists. He congratulated the entire working class on this International Labour Day. He said that it would be ensured that even during the Corona Pandemic workers do not face any difficulty.
This innovative experiment of modern technology for holding the meeting was made for the first time by any organisation of media persons. In his address, the IFWJ President BV Mallikarjunaih said that the biggest message of the International Labour day is the unity of workers and thanks to the new technology we are achieving this objective even while sitting in our houses.
The IFWJ Vice-President Hemant Tiwari exhorted the media employees to remain united to face the challenges in the post-Corona period. VIbhuti Bhushan Kar, the Vice-President of IFWJ who is also the President of Utkal Journalist Union (UJA) told that ‘it is because of the unity of journalists in Odissa that the government has accepted many of their demands’. K. M. Jha, the other Vice-President of the IFWJ informed that he has written to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers that journalists should be recognised as the Corona warriors as they are performing their duties at the risk of their lives.
Senior journalist and the Working Committee Member Ish Madhu Talwar said that It was because of the efforts of the Union that the Rajasthan government has started giving pension to all eligible journalists from the 1st April of this year. Besides being a well-known journalist Shri Talwar is an important signature of the Literature and he has always been at the forefront of all the struggles of journalists.
Secretary-General Parmanand Pandey while emphasising the unity of the media persons also underscored for their training in the new technology to face the challenges of the post-Corona times. Senior journalist Utkarsh Sinha laid emphasis for the inclusion of the Digital media in the Working Journalists Act. A senior functionary of the IFWJ Ram Kishore Trivedi said in addition to giving Insurance Cover of at least Rs fifty lakh Rs. the media persons must get all the benefits as are available to other government employees.
The UPWJU President Bhaskar Dubey told the meeting that UPWJU has submitted a memorandum to the State Labour Minister containing eight-point demands, the important among them was, that the government must pay the monetary assistance to the media employees for at least six months in this crisis. The relief package should also be announced for media persons on the pattern of the relief given to the other employees of the state government.
IFWJ Secretary Sidharth Kalhans, who hosted the meeting through video conferencing informed that we will continue to use this technology more frequently and in a better manner to interact and discuss the problems of media employees all over the country. The meeting resolved that some orientation courses would be started by the IFWJ to develop the skill of the media persons. The leader of Telangana Journalists Union. Kappara Prasad Rao told that his union has been able to avail many benefits for the media persons by sheer dint of unity and struggle. IFWJ Treasurer Rinku Yadav said the NOIDA being the hub of the national media, we have to concentrate more on organising the media persons.
Among others who attended the meeting were Sanjay Jain (Haryana), P Venkatamuni (Karnataka), Ajai Trivedi of Aaj Samaj, PPN Sinha, T B Singh, Basant Rawat (Gujrat) Dr Ashok ( President Telanagana Journalists Union) and K Asadhulla (IFWJ Secretary South).
