This meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), being held at Patna on 13th May 2012, strongly condemns the non-implementation of the Majithia Wage

Board recommendations as notified by the Union Government by the employers of newspapers and news agencies. While protesting strongly against the Government’s failure to take any action to get the Wage Boards’ awards implemented, the Union reiterates its determination to wage a relentless struggle for the implementation of these awards under the leadership of the Confederation of Newspaper and News agency employees unions.

The IJU has been strongly responding to all the Confederation’s calls for action in this respect and hereby renews its determination to not only carry out all the decisions of the Confederation to fight for the implementation of the awards but to do everything possible to strengthen the Confederation and its future course of action.

This meeting also calls upon all Central trade union organisations and other democratic forces to support our struggle for the implementation of the Wage awards by building up pressure upon the Government to take effective steps for the implementation of the awards.

IJU Demands Setting Up of Media Commission

This meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), being held at Patna on 13th May 2012, views with serious concern the ongoing attempts to stifle the voice of the journalists and control the freedom of the Press. While the Press barons are trying to usurp it by enforcing the contract system to threaten the job security of the journalists, the authorities are trying to do that by seeking to “regulate” the Press and even involving the Supreme Court in the exercise by calling upon it to prescribe “guidelines” for the Press. The judiciary has even otherwise not refrained from interfering with the functioning of the Press as we saw in the Allahabad High Court’s recent advice to the Press against carrying reports relating to the movement of the armed forces.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the IJU appreciates the concern of the Central Election Commission and other democratic institutions over the emergence of the phenomenon of “paid news” but firmly believes that it should not be used as an excuse to stifle the voice of the Press. The IJU, in fact, was the first to take notice of this phenomenon and suggest ways to tackle the menace. Our representatives in the Press Council of India (PCI) played a leading role in suggesting ways to curb this phenomenon and discipline the delinquent elements among newspaper managements.

It was in appreciation of all these factors that the first Press Commission called for the setting up of the Press Council to oversee the Press. The twin measures of setting up the Press Council and creating statutory institutions to regulate the wages and service conditions of the working journalists went a long way in strengthening the freedom of the Press in the country and developing it into a strong institution.

The IJU, therefore, has already called for the setting up a Media Commission to consider in detail the entire gamut of the working and service conditions and rights and duties of the media, including electronic media. We have also made an alternative suggestion to set up, at least, a Media Council to oversee the functioning of the media and ensure that its freedom does not get “unchartered”.

This meeting, therefore, calls upon all concerned to be wary of interfering with the freedom of the Press in the interest of democracy in the country. We are confident that the Supreme Court will deal with the matter sagaciously and ensure that the freedom of the Press is not allowed to be trifled with.

IJU Demands Safety Law

This meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), being held at Patna on 13th May 2012, regrets that the Union Government has not taken any action so far on this union’s repeated appeals for the enactment of a law to ensure safety and protection of working journalists and payment of adequate compensation to their families in case any tragedy befalls them. Even the Maharashtra Government’s assurance in the wake of the assassination of J. De more than a year ago of bringing such a legislation appears to have been forgotten with the passage of time.

As pointed out by the IJU on innumerable occasions, the journalists face threats to their life and limb from not only the various mafias but also terrorists and sometimes even security forces, throughout the country, more particularly in the sensitive areas. There have been many reports of mediapersons being abused or beaten up. And the difference between attacks by gun butts and the pulling of a trigger could often be made by a word, a gesture or even some stray noise.

The IJU, therefore, calls upon the Government not to wait for the occurrence of the next big tragedy but to take urgent steps to enact a law to ensure the safety and protection of working journalists and the payment of adequate compensation to their families in case a tragedy befalls them.