Laws Becoming Ineffective Must Be Protected – National Labor Union Leader Prasad
Hyderabad: March 7 Prominent national labor union leader P. Prasad expressed his concern that media, which has fallen into the hands of corporate giants, and the laws protecting working journalists need to be safeguarded. He emphasized the urgent need for journalist unions to intensify their struggles to protect these rights. He stated that the Telangana State Working Journalists’ Association (TUWJ), which has been functioning as a trade union organization, must become more active in these critical times. On Friday, at the Suravaram Pratap Reddy Auditorium in Basheerbagh, under the leadership of Telangana State Union of Working Journalists and its state president K. Virahat Ali, a one-day workshop titled “Journalism – Professional Union” was conducted for union presidents and secretaries from 33 districts.
Speaking at the event, Prasad mentioned that the Working Journalists’ Association has a rich history of struggle and social consciousness. He appreciated the initiative of holding a workshop on the changes occurring in the media industry. He stressed that awareness programs should also be conducted at the district and mandal levels.
Prasad expressed concern that the media has now completely fallen into the hands of large corporate investors, unlike in the past. He pointed out that earlier, journalists used to earn wages by providing valuable information, but now the scenario has worsened to the extent that journalists are forced to pay their managements to meet targets imposed on them.
He added that journalists working at the mandal and division levels are being threatened by these corporate-driven targets, leading to a decline in public respect for journalists. He urged journalists to perform their duties with social awareness and break free from exploitation. He emphasized the need for journalists to regain their critical role in society and continuously fight for their rights. Prasad called on journalists to protect their self-respect and lead their lives as responsible citizens.Be Cautious of Changing Laws – K. Srinivas Reddy.
K. Srinivas Reddy, National President of IJU (Indian Journalists Union) and Chairman of Telangana Media Academy, urged journalists to stay vigilant regarding changing laws. He lamented that the central government has systematically altered the laws won through years of struggle for journalists’ welfare. Previously, there were 44 labor laws, but the government merged them into 4 labor codes by modifying 29 existing laws. Srinivas Reddy expressed concern that these new labor codes have been designed entirely in favor of multi-billion-dollar corporate employers.
He advised journalist unions to adapt their activities in compliance with new legal norms at the grassroots level. He emphasized that journalist unions have a moral responsibility to condemn attacks on journalists. He also warned that the union will not tolerate individuals who harm the interests and reputation of the association. During the session, Srinivas Reddy clarified various doubts raised by union members and provided insights on several key issues.
The event was attended by Union State General Secretary K. Ramnarayana, IJU Steering Committee Member Devulapalli Amar, IJU Steering Committee Member M.A. Majeed, Secretary Y. Narendra Reddy, National Executive Members K. Satyanarayana, Nagunoori Shekhar, TUWJ State Deputy General Secretary K. Ramulu, Vice Presidents Faisal Ahmed, B. Sampath, Gadipalli Madhu, State Secretaries V. Yadagiri, K. Srikanth Reddy, Treasurer M. Venkat Reddy, and other state executive members B. Kiran, A. Rajesh, Rajeshwari, D.G. Sharma, Elagandula Ravinder, Yousuf babu, Ashoke among others.