Three Journalists’ Unions have approached the Supreme Court on Thursday against the illegal retrenchments and salary cuts implemented by certain media companies in the garb of the Corona pandemic crisis. The petition filed by three prominent Unions – National Alliance of Journalists, Delhi Union of Journalists and Brihan Mumbai Union of Journalists appealed to the Apex Court to direct Central and State Governments to take stringent action against the media barons who violate the laws and norms during the COVID-19 crisis.

“This public interest litigation is being filed regarding the inhuman and illegal treatment being meted out by employers to their employees and workers in the newspaper and media sector, by issuing termination notices, imposing steep wage cuts unilaterally, sending workers and employees on indefinite unpaid leave, and soon, taking the excuse of the nation-wide lockdown” imposed in light of the spread of COVID-19, Coronavirus.

“Several newspapers, magazines, online media outlets, and other employers in the media sector have reportedly taken step after the announcement of the nation-wide lockdown in March 2020 to retrench workers and employees, impose wage cuts, etc. in spite of advisories issued by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India and even appeals by the Prime Minister of India to not terminate the services or reduce the wages of their employees, “said the petition citing the salary cutting and retrenchments implemented by the media barons with impunity.

The petition filed by the Journalists’ Unions pointed out the massive salary cuts and retrenchments illegally implemented by Times of India, Economic Times, Indian Express, Business Standard and Quint Website, Bloomberg Quint, News Nation, Outlook Magazine, Hamara Maha Nagar newspaper from Mumbai and NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar’s family members run Sakal Newspaper Group.

PGurus have reported the salary cut in Indian Express[1] and retrenchment in Quint[2] blaming the Corona crisis by Goenka family and Raghav Bahl.

Noted lawyer Colin Gonsalves is expected to argue for the Journalists’ Unions. The six-page synopsis of the petition filed by Journalists’ Unions is published below:

Journalist Unions by PGurus on Scribd



References:

[1] Blaming Corona, Indian Express implements huge salary cuts – Apr 4, 2020, PGurus.com

[2] Blaming Corona, Quint website owner Raghav Bahl kicks out staffers through forced leave without salary from April 15 – Apr 13, 2020, PGurus.com