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The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ), Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), the Kerala Union of Working Journalists(KUWJ), and the Press Club of India, held a protest meeting following the death by suicide of senior UNI photojournalist T. Kumar. The media association also raised the issue of increasing attacks on journalists’ rights and dignity. The Central government’s new accreditation policy was also discussed once again as many journalists have called it out as “being totally biased to end independent journalism and ensure a new era of government controlled journalism.”
The DUJ at its Executive meeting also demanded that the UNI management pay compensation to Kumar’s family and also pay all his dues immediately, including his provident fund and salary backlog. They noted, “Persistent mismanagement by newspaper barons, who own UNI and continue to fight over its assets including extremely valuable land in the heart of New Delhi and several other places. Side by side government policies had ruined the finances of the news agency, by favouring other news agencies.” According to the union, the government “seemed to favour ANI, and some others and totally discriminate against UNI in particular and also PTI” . Even in Delhi, many journalists and press workers who had been associated with UNI are still awaiting dues.
An extended Executive meeting of the Delhi union of journalists, had also passed a a resolution on the death by suicide of UNI photo journalist T. Kumar. The DUJ Members wore black badges in protest and also expressed concern at the “loss of several jobs in various news establishments” enacted by managements of media houses “using Covid as an excuse for anti labour practises, forced retrenchments of journalists and press workers.” The protest meeting coordinated by veteran journalist and NAJ –DUJ president S.K.Pande was addressed by senior journalists including the Press Club of India President Umakant Lakhera, PCI General Secretary Vinay Kumar, DUJ General Secretary Sujata Madhok, former PCI general secretary Anant Bagaitkar, DUJ Vice President Pius Kumar Bajpai, former UNI Urdu chief Sheik Manzoor, PK Manikandhan KUWJ Delhi and others.
The unions have demanded “a phased opening of the news offices with due Covid precautions and fast track courts to ensure due implementation of the Majithia Wage Board Award for journalists and press workers.” The NAJ and the DUJ, castigated the “non-withdrawal of the anti labour codes of the Central government, increasingly being used as a threat to end the working journalist Act and various labour laws connected with journalists and press workers besides being a dark chapter to replace labour laws with pro corporate laws”. The unions also called for “wider mobilisation and solidarity with the Central Trade Unions protest against the Labour Codes on March 28-29 throughout the country.”
The media associations also expressed grave concern “against the continued imprisonment of Journalist Siddique Kappan, the arbitrary ban on MediaOne TV channel, and the increasing harassment of Journalists in Kashmir,” as well as targeting of scribes in Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
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