New Delhi: Media trade unions and other journalists’ organisations called for fair working conditions and decent wages on the occasion of Newspaper Day observed in India on January 29.
In a statement signed by the National Alliance of Journalists, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India and several others, the organisations demanded a review of the deteriorating status of the print and other media.
“The day is an occasion to reflect on the collective achievements of the Indian press, especially that of the working journalists and press workers over the years. Despite epochal developments like the constitution of the first National Press Commission that led to the enactment of the Working Journalists’ Act, 1955 and the Press Council, in recent years, the press as a whole has seen several setbacks in the form of arbitrary lay-offs, unfair labour practices and deteriorating working conditions,” the statement read.
The statement in full is produced below.
§
Newspaper Day: In Defence Of Fair Working Conditions And Labor Practices
On January 29, Indian Newspaper Day, leading media trade unions and other journalists’ organisations warn against the proposed Labour Codes that will demolish the Working Journalists Acts and our basic rights. We, the undersigned journalist organizations, demand fair working conditions and decent wages.
The Indian media and the print media in particular have come a long way since 1780 when Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, (eponymously named after Augustus Hicky), the first Indian newspaper came into existence. The Gazette extolled the importance of the freedom of the press and was deeply critical of the then Governor General, Warren Hastings.
Today, newspapers and the print media face similar challenges related to unfair working conditions and labor practices apart from the attacks on the freedom of the press. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Press Club of India, the National Alliance of Journalists, The Press Association, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists’ Federation and the Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists call for a review of the deteriorating status of the print and other media today.
The day is an occasion to reflect on the collective achievements of the Indian press, especially that of the working journalists and press workers over the years. Despite epochal developments like the constitution of the first National Press Commission that led to the enactment of the Working Journalists’ Act, 1955 and the Press Council, in recent years, the press as a whole has seen several setbacks in the form of arbitrary lay-offs, unfair labour practices and deteriorating working conditions. Bodies like the Press Council have been rendered redundant over the years. The press, just as it was censored during the British Raj under one pretext or the other, faces similar pressures. Additionally, its corporatization poses a severe threat to the rights of journalists and to the nature of journalism itself.
Despite the advancement in technology in the media, journalists and press workers work way beyond the hours stipulated under the Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Rules. Journalists are expected to be on call at all hours of the day and work simultaneously on the print, digital and electronic space – all within the same pay package. Even though the Act excludes editors, reporters, photo journalists and camera persons from ‘shift’ duties, some prominent media groups have introduced the biometric pattern of attendance, making physical presence of correspondents mandatory in office for a specified number of hours.
We reiterate the demand that the Working Journalists’ Act be restored in its original form and extended to cover the electronic and the digital media as well. It cannot be subsumed under the Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. Journalism is not like any other occupation. The social role that the media performs in strengthening and upholding democracy cannot be understated. It needs to be treated differently and the rights of journalists need to be protected at all times.
We also demand the constitution of an independent and statutory Media Commission to look into working conditions of and harassment of journalists by state and non-state actors. In this context, we also reiterate the demand for the long pending constitution of the Wage Board.
Sujata Madhok
President
Delhi Union of Journalists
Signed:
Press Club of India,
National Alliance of Journalists,
Kerala Union of Working Journalists,
Press Association,
Indian Women’s Press Corps,
Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists’ Federation,
Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists
