People's Democracy

INSIDE THE  “NATIONAL” HINDUSTAN TIMES

 Enter Henderson – Exit 362 Press Workers

 S K Pande

RIGHT in the capital of India, a test case has begun as to how to run joint ventures with foreign corporations to crush workers. Hindustan Times, with its chain of publications, has struck on the workers with the help of a new joint venture company floated with the purse of Henderson of Australia through Hindustan Times Media Ltd. (HTML). After missing a Murdoch deal, Hindustan Times found its foreign partner in Henderson.  The joint venture baby, born in only February this year, has struck.  In a single sweep of the pen, 362 press workers stand retrenched at one go.

Heavy police, with and without uniform, private security guards (Group 4) and close circuit cameras, all tell the story of Operation Union Witchhunt. This is the grim reality today in Hindustan Times. This is no guestimate but the reality within the newspaper.

Next on target are about 400 journalists, some of whom have started protesting in murmurs with the workers as in the old days.  The timing is significant.  A standing committee of parliament has recommended a new Wage Board for the Newspaper Industry and the matter is slated to figure in the next session of parliament. 

The last two years of the previous NDA government were utilised to give not so golden handshakes and mastering the art of putting journalists on contract using terror, if necessary.  It is a matter of record that some threats of retrenchment in various periods in the past three years have been resorted to in other states leading to a situation where 60 per cent of the journalists in have been alternatively coaxed and coerced into contracts. 

What started as the test case in the NDA government is now being hustled through, with select managements watching the experiment.  In the backdrop is the tussle for the Birla empire.  The facts. The K K Birla promoted Hindustan Times gave the marching orders on October 3 and  the workers union has moved the Delhi High Court against the decision. The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Delhi State Newspaper Employees Federation (DSNEF) have decided to move jointly on the issue and are in the process of chalking out various agitational struggles. A programme of phased action is likely to be announced in the next few days.

Meanwhile the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) has called upon the government to intervene while calling for preparing for a joint struggle with press workers. It has also written to fraternal all-India bodies in the press.  

It may be recalled that many workers had been resisting their transfer from Hindustan Times Ltd. to Hindustan Times Media Ltd. (HTML).  In addition to these workers, some 400 journalists had also objected to the transfer. Printing has already been shifted and select areas cordoned. The press, it was said, would be sold to the highest bidder.  As HTML quoted the highest bid, the press was transferred to its books. Next came the cruelest cut. As per Section 25 (FF) of the Industrial Disputes Act, the workers were told that they automatically ceased to be a part of the company.

Apart from the Delhi High Court, the workers have also registered their complaint with the Delhi Labour Commissioner.  The union also alleged that the HTML management had not taken the permission of the Delhi government before it handed out pink slips to the employees.

But watch out.  Murdoch’s Star India is also flexing its muscles. Star News, the 74:26 joint venture between ABP Ltd and Star India, has begun reducing its headcount and has closed down its Ranchi and Dehradun bureaus already. Some more shuttling is on. Even the Delhi operations have been curtailed.

Meanwhile, the union cabinet, we are told, is preparing a foolproof case against International Herald Tribune-Asian Age deal. It is already being printed from Hyderabad. The coming session of parliament could see some fireworks, says the DSNEF general secretary Roop Chand. “The issue in Hindustan Times is a challenge to us”, he says “ with wage board being the top priority”. But the question being raised is how many will be left for the wage board if it is delayed further. (INN)