AAMEF expresses concern at closure notice of Sangbad Lahari
Guwahati: All Assam Media Employees Federation (AAMEF) has expressed serious concern at the sudden closure notice issued by the management of Sangbad Lahari, a Bengali daily published from Guwahati and Shillong to make over 50 direct and 100 indirect media employees jobless. The notice from S. Choudhury, general manager of Shillong Times Pvt Ltd (Ref no ST/63/14, dated 26 March 2014), narrates that the management has decided to close down the publication of Sangbad Lahari wef 1st April 2014 due to reasons beyond its control. The management has however offered a month's salary to its employees as a token of support to them. AAMEF appeals to the management of the daily to reconsider its decision to close down the publication by next few days. The federation also urged Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Meghalaya chief minister Dr Mukul Sangma to pursue with the management of the daily to continue its publication. "Otherwise, the management should offer at least five months' salary to its employees with other due legal benefits," said Hiten Mahnata, president of AAMEF. Meanwhile, Journalists' Forum Assam (JFA) has appealed to all the media organisations of northeast India to raise voices against the sudden closure notice of the Sangbad Lahari management. "A protest demonstration is organised in front of Guwahati Press Club on 30 March (Sunday) starting at 1 pm. We request the journalist and non-journalist media employees of the city to join the demonstration as a mark of solidarity to the affected newspaper workers," said Rupam Barua, president of JFA. AAMEF and JFA reiterated their old demand for a media audit of the concerned newspaper house, as its management has virtually shown the acute financial crisis as the reason behind the closure notice to Sangbad Lahari. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
