The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ) has moved the Supreme Court urging its immediate intervention to suspend sudden retrenchment of journalists and indiscriminate salary cuts of scribes resorted by media houses while the nation battles to wriggle out of the Covid-19 situation which has gripped the world.
The scribes body has appealed before the apex court that the managements of media houses has treated the employees in an unfair manner and imposed inhuman conditions by sacking them or drastically cutting down salaries in April 2020 citing losses in revenue within a few days of Coronavirus outbreak, though the Centre and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently urged various industries on television not to remove any employees or cut their salaries during this difficult period when the nation was battling the pandemic.
It is the case of the petitioner that these steps were taken despite an advisory by the Centre that no services should be terminated during the period of nation-wide Covid-19 lockdown.
The petition has listed nine instances where media houses have imposed salary cuts or issued notices sending employees on indefinite unpaid leave or serving termination letters.
In the backdrop of the lockdown, the media industry has effected job losses and wage cuts with impunity, says the journalist body.
The petition stated that the media houses have “summarily shut down” and argued that this was in violation of the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947. Apart from contravening legal provisions, the petition argues, that these steps were taken without being mindful of the helpless position the employees have been facing due to the pandemic.
Such treatment was in violation of Working Journalists Act of 1955 as well as other Newspaper Employees (conditions of service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, NAJ pointed out.
Therefore, the petition prayed the court to direct all the media houses, including Digital media, to forthwith suspend all termination notices, resignations received pursuant to requests, wage cuts and directions to go on leave without pay, which took palce after the announcement of Covid-19 lockdown.
The petition would come up for hearing in due course.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Press Club, in a statement, expressed shock over firing employees and resorting to unilateral cuts in salaries and demanded that such decisions by the media houses should be reversed immediately. At a time, when media employees are going through challenging period and braving through the Coronavirus to go onto the field, they have been “rewarded” for their loyalty by the handing out of pink slips. These firings and closure of departments are both contrary to the due process of law as well as violation of advisories put out by the Union Government, it said.
Condemning such decisions of media houses, the Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists has demanded all such terminations and wage cuts of employees In the media industry must be immediately withdrawn and urged the Union Government to issue a directive to the Industry to take back its decisions which are harmful to the employees.
In a combined statement, Press Association, Indian Journalists Union, National Union of Journalists and Working News Cameramen’s Association — have expressed serious concern and deep anguish over these developments in the media and described this as a Knee-jerk reaction.
“When the whole of industrial sector was being asked to adopt humane approach and not to stop payments to workforce during lockdown, this downsizing and salary cuts in the media industry is most inconsiderate,” the statement issued by the unions submitted.
