The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomed news of an agreement between Nepal 1 Television employees and management on May 7, which ended the strike that had been going for almost three weeks.
According to an IFJ affiliate, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), the agreement was signed between the management representative, Pradeep Roy and the journalists representative, Rebati Sapkota, and witnessed by FNJ secretary general Mahendra Bista, FNJ legal advisor Ramesh Badal, general secretary of Labor and Transportation Ministry Bishnu Lamsal, and joint-secretary of Information and Communication Ministry Narayan Prasad Regmi.
The signing of this agreement is a win for employees all over the nation, IFJ President Christopher Warren said.
The employees strike began on April 19, after management ignored their demands for a collective agreement and better working conditions, and ended when the agreement was signed.
Several complaints from the staffs 20-point demand letter will be rectified, including the demands for a contract post-dating from the date each employee was hired, accident and medical insurance, and a provident fund, the FNJ reports.
Several leading members of government and representatives of journalists rights groups have supported the staff throughout the strike, including the IFJ, the organisation that represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 115 countries.
The determination and resolve of the employees of Nepal 1 Television in the face of such adversity is commendable, and it is very encouraging to see that they have been successful in their fight for a fair working environment, Warren said.
This victory signifies that journalists in Nepal are not going to endure being mistreated by their employers on top of being attacked and threatened by the violent groups they report on out in the field, he said.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 115 countries
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