People's Democracy

Delhi: Newspaper Employees Stage Protest

HUNDREDS of journalists and non-journalists staged a demonstration at New Delhi on December 14, in front of the Labour Ministry headquarters, Shram Shakti Bhawan, to press the demand for immediate constitution of the Wage Board, reinstatement of the illegally retrenched 362 employees of the Hindustan Times and for prevention of takeover of the UNI by unscrupulous media barons.

The rally had been organised by the Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees Organisation as a part of the nationwide protest day.

The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), which actively participated in the protest by mobilising journalists as well as non-journalists, announced that if the government does not concede the demands immediately, a massive march to parliament would be organised during the budget session of parliament.

The rally was addressed among others, by M S Yadav (confederation general secretary), Suresh Akhori (president Indian Journalists Union), Santosh Kumar (vice-president All India Newspaper employees Federation), DUJ president S K Pande, UNI Employees Union leader Mukesh Kumar and Hindustan Times Employees Union (HTEU) leader Akhilesh Rai.