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Saturday 25 February 2012

Urging Dues for Media Employees



 Urging Dues for Media Employees


Urging Dues for Media Employees

By Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The Assam Tribune Employees Union (ATEU) has appealed all
the media house owners to provide legal dues to the journalist and
non-journalist media employees such that they can maintain decent
lives. Addressing a press meet at Guwahati Press Club today (February
20, 2012), the union argues that the managements of the newspaper
houses should immediately implement the recommendations of Majithia
Wage Board.
Mentionable that the Assam Tribune group of newspapers has already
implemented the recommendations of the latest statutory wage board
from January 2012. The Majithia board is applicable since July, 2010
where increment of salary and other benefits for the employees are
included.
Significantly the Assam Tribune group of the region has been
identified as the first house in the country to go for implementing
various recommendations for the benefit of its over 400 journalists
and non-journalist media employees.
"If we can get the benefits from the latest wage board in our house,
why our colleagues from other media groups should be deprived of such
facilities," questioned Dugdha Kalita, secretary of ATEU.
The Assam Tribune group, which was founded by a visionary of Assam RG Barua,
publishes the pioneer English daily of northeast India (The Assam
Tribune), an acclaimed Assamese daily (Dainik Asom), an Assamese
weekly (Asom Bani) and a literary monthly magazine (Garioshi).
Amid all troubles in Assam, the media witnessed a rapid boom in
Nineties. Today the State capital witnesses the publication of more
than 20 morning dailies, half of those are in the Assamese language.
Most of the dailies are published from more than one center, whereas
three Assamese daily newspapers claim to enjoy around 100 000
circulation.
Though the print media boom is spectacular, there are always
apprehension about the outcome. Journalists here have to work under
tremendous pressure from the managements. The reporters have to cover
all the important issues including political, economical, social, and
cultural.
But unfortunately a reporter in Assam may have to work with a salary
starting with Rs. 3000 with absolutely no job security. One can found
that more than 60 % newspaper employees in Assam are still deprived
of basic minimum facilities such as appointment letter, leave,
provident fund, ESI etc.
Addressing the media, ATEU president Saifuddin Ahmed appealed to all
other media groups of the region to implement the recommendations of
the wage board, such that the journalists and other employees get
their dues and function with a secured atmosphere. He also advocated
for a combined platform for media employees to pursue their various
demands.
The press meet was also addressed Siba Deka, vice-president of ATEU
and Nava Thakuria, secretary (eastern zone) of National federation of
Newspaper Employees.


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