Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) has expressed serious concern at the helpless working condition of most of the media persons, precisely the private television journalists, based in Assam.
The Assam based scribes body argues that nearly 80% working journalists of the State have to work with pitiable salaries, unlimited working hours without even a break in need and without any insurance facilities.
The JFA pointed out that the working journalists, engaged with the satellite news channels of Assam have to perform their duties in a vulnerable atmosphere with lower wages, more than 8 hours working period in a day, without appropriate leave days & off-days, and with no facility of life & health insurance coverage.
The scribes body has asked for a minimum starting salary of rupees 15,000 for the television media persons, engaged with the satellite news channels of Assam, with a daily working period of 8 hours or less, and a dignified leave arrangement.
It also stated that all the employees working in newspaper or news channels should get the facilities of PF, ESI according to the Labour Act and also a health & life insurance coverage without discrimination.
Whenever the demand for higher financial packages for the privately-owned television channel employees, including the working journalists is put forward, the owners argue that they are running a loosing business.
One important aspect, the owners always raise here, is that they have to pay a huge amount of money to the cable operators across Assam & northeast India for facilitating the distribution of their channels.
According to them, the satellite news channel managements have to pay nearly Indian rupees 2 crores (around 3,00,000 USD) to the cable operators every year for their service.
“But the issue that arises here is that the cable operators of the region also slam a monthly charge of rupees 200 to 300 per subscriber against the facility. So the cable operators are collecting money from both the parties namely the Guwahati based private news channel managements and millions of subscriber families of the region,” stated in a release issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.
The JFA argues that if the cable operators collect money every month from the viewers, they should pay a portion of the amount to the channel owners, as like as the newspaper agents pay to the proprietors. However for any reason, if that is not workable, the cable operators should reduce the monthly charge for the cable subscribers.
The cable operators may initiate for increasing the number of subscribers to the rural areas of the region too with an aim to enhance their business.
In regards to the Direct To Home (from the satellite) arrangements across the country, the channel owners make an allegation that they have to pay over 2 crore Indian rupees for the entry into the space.
“Hence we raise the demand for a specially designed DTH service in India, where every channel, recognized by the Indian Union government, should be available. Leaving aside the free-to-air channels, the payment for all the paid-for channels can be availed from the subscribers across the country,”