Pinarayi calls for government intervention to settle strike by Madhyamam staff

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Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates a day-night protest organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and Kerala Newspaper Employees Federation in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday against the Madhyamam newspaper management's stance of withholding employees’ salaries for eight months. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has sought government intervention to settle the strike by employees of Madhyamam daily.

He was speaking at a day-and-night-agitation organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Kerala Newspaper Employees’ Federation with the support of 12 Central and State trade unions in front of the Secretariat here on Tuesday.

Mr. Vijayan pointed out the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had intervened in the matter and facilitated a temporary compromise. The present government should take the initiative to correct the Madhyamam management that was taking positions that were unacceptable to anyone.

The staff at Madhyamam, he said, were seeking their rightful salary. What was happening at Madhyamam should not happen not just in a media organisation but in any modern commercial establishment. It was strange that the policies adopted by corporates in neo-liberal times were being implemented by a media organisation. Permanent staff were pressured to quit and taken in as contract staff. This was unacceptable not only to the staff who were protesting but also to the staff of any organisation in Keralam, Mr. Vijayan said, expressing support for the protest.

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