The Himal Media episode has taken a political turn. It appears that this episode is being blown out of proportion to defame the Prachanda led coalition government of Nepal. Though Nepalese media is full of news reports expressing solidarity with Himal Media, yet there are voices which try to present the issue in a different perspective. Mainly for ordinary Nepalese, I believe that, listening to these voices will be better instead of running to conclusion hurriedly. Moreover, we have also felt, how disgustingly management of so called private sector can attack, humiliate and cause deaths of hapless workers.
Some of the views clearly indicate that the Management of Himal Media acted in a way similar to what Suresh Raj Sharma has been doing. Suresh Raj Sharma of KU has completely forbidden organizational rights of employees of KU. His management has never recognized formation of KUPA and KUSA. At the same time, he has helped create other entity like "Teacher's welfare council" in KU. This double standard on the part of Suresh Raj and his management has exposed his hollow claim of the employees not having right to organization. Had it been so, Suresh Raj would have never allowed "Teacher's welfare council" in KU. "Teacher's welfare council" is recognized though it was created hurriedly after most of the teachers started getting membership of KUPA in KU. This simply shows that Management of so called private sector in Nepal wants to prevent or suppress genuine demands of employees.
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Be aware of these two “media captains”
Himalmedia
Himalmedia, established in 1998, has five founders; Ambika Shrestha chairperson and Kanak Mani Dixit, Kunda Dixit, Rajiv Raj Bhandari and Sajib Raj Bhandari directors. The three publications of Himalmedia – Himal Khabarpatrika, Nepali Times and Wave — are being published under the involvement and direction of Kunda Dixit and Kanak Mani Dixit, who are brothers by blood relation and journalists by profession.
While Kanak is the publisher and editor of Himal Khabarpatrika, Kunda is the publisher and editor of Nepali Times and Wave. Himal Khabarpatrika covers politics, economic sector and other areas, Nepali Times is targeted diplomatic crop and Wave covers youth and entertainment.
Besides serving public, all the three publications are being published to aid their own other businesses and are making good profits alone from advertisement with Rs 50 million standing profit every year.
However, the expense is only around Rs 30 million. High prices of the three newspapers have also been significantly contributing to the company. Listed as “Number 1″ three years ago, Himal Khabarpatrika is ranked at Number 2 on circulation basis and Number 3 on news content’s basis. But the Dixit brothers, on the pretext of incurring losses, have been collecting grants from several donor organizations.
On various occasions and pretexts, they have also been collecting around Rs 10 million from the government. Similarly, threatening businessmen of publishing negative news, some Rs 50 million have been amassed. On the other hand, some businessmen provide advertisement on the condition of not publishing their news.
The Dixit brothers are active being wolf in sheep’s clothing, but the other partners stay mum.
The list of their malpractice continues. They also gain various benefits from I/NGOs on the banner of Himalmedia.
The Dixit brothers, who also claim themselves the leaders of civil society, have sowed a seed of dispute between Dr. Devendra Raj Pandey and Krishna Pahadi. It is due to their ill act, Pandey has to cut off relation with Pahadi.
Himal South Asia has also become a breeding ground for them to launch sordid acts of gaining advantage illegally.
Himalmedia at present:
Ever since the inception of the company, employees have been working permanently at Himalmedia. However, suddenly Dixit brothers introduced new system and made staffers work on contract. This gave them a ground to treat workers as servants and lead a life of landlords. On numerous occasions, they sacked workers and hired new ones.
Without serving their interest, no worker could be their employee. Evident is the case of editors. No editor was employed for more than a year. However, Rajendra Dahal’s case was exceptional. This is because Dahal was their family brother-in-law, so he was able to work for more than a year.
Time-bound salary and facility were a far cry for workers. Those staffers, recruited on 5000-7000 salary per month five years ago are still drawing the same scale. Repeated pleas of workers to hike salary and facility fell on the Dixit brothers’ deaf ears. In this way, fours years went down the drain.
Irked workers, hoping for bright fate, established a non-political union for their welfare. However, the Dixit brothers shattered their dreams when they refused to meet them recently after the union was established. The workers got a shot in the arms after Ashutosh Tiwari, who was later nominated as the Chief Executive Officer, pledged to fulfill their genuine demands. He assured to act on the commitment with in a month.
However, even though a year passed, the demands were gathering dust. Worst, the Dixit brothers did not even hand over the permanent letters to working journalists and other staffs. This proves that the Dixit brothers always cultivate false promises.
———–घटनाको बास्तबिकता——(Reality of the incident)——–
(English translation is informally done by me)
1)हिमाल मिडियामा कार्यरत कर्मचारी/मजदुरहरूले गत भदौ १७ गते अखिल नेपाल छापाखाना तथा प्रकाशन मजदुर सङ्घको इकाई गठन गरेपछि विवाद सुरु भएको थियो ।
1) Dispute started once the workers in Himal Media formed All Nepal Printing and Publishing Labour Union on September 2, 2008.
2)मजदुरहरूले अधिकारका लागि सङ्गठित हुनेबित्तिकै हिमाल मिडियाले कम्पनी घाटामा गएको भन्दै कर्मचारी कटौतीको निर्णय गरी सङ्गठनमा आबद्ध १६ जना मजदुरलाई निष्काशन गरेको थियो ।
2) After formation of the Labour Union, the Himal Media sacked 17 workers affiliated with newly formed union on the pretext of finanacial losses of the company.
3)सङ्गठनमा आबद्ध भएकै कारण इकाईका अध्यक्ष दीपक सङ्ग्रौला र अर्का कर्मचारी आशिष खड्कालाई हिमाल मिडियाले कात्तिक २७ गते एक सूचनाका भरमा निष्काशन गर्ने प्रयास गरेको थियो ।
3) Because of association with newly formed union, the Himal Media tried to fire Dipak Sangroula and Aashish Khadka on filmsy ground on November 12, 2008.
4)दुवैजनालाई सरुवा गर्न नपाइने व्योहोराको पत्र श्रम कार्यालयले कात्तिक २४ गते हिमाल मिडियामा पठाएको ३ दिन नबित्दै मजदुरहरूलाई निष्काशनको प्रयास गरिएको थियो । टे्रड युनियन गठन गरेपछि कम्पनी घाटामा गएको बहाना बनाउँदै कम्पनीका कर्मचारी कटौतीको लागि अनुमति माग्दै प्रेस रजिष्ट्रारकहाँ निवेदन दिएको जनाइए पनि निवेदनविपरीत बजार शाखामा नयाँ कर्मचारी भर्ना गर्न विज्ञापन गरिएको थियो ।
4) The Himal Media tried to fire these two employees despite having received a prior notification of Labour department 3 days before. Though the Himal Media claims to have applied for permission to sack employees in the office of Press Registart on the ground of financial losses, yet it has published new vacancies for Marketing Department.
5)उद्योगधन्दा र व्यवसायका रूपमा सञ्चालन गरिएका निजी सञ्चारमाध्यमहरूमा कर्मचारीहरूले कानुनसम्मत न्यूनतम सेवा सुविधा माग गर्नासाथ प्रेस स्वतन्त्रतामाथि नै हस्तक्षेप भएको गलत हौवा पिटेर प्रेसको शक्तिको दुरुपयोग गर्नसमेत मिडिया पछि नपरेको तथ्य कान्तिपुर, आप्का हाउस, समाचारपत्र, इसीआर एफएम, एचबीसी एफएमलगायतका सञ्चारमाध्यममा भएको आन्दोलनले सावित गरिसकेका छन्।
5) Private Media has never hesitated to misuse of the power of press to make a hue and cry about "Freedom of expression" whenever employees demanded minimum benefits they are legally entitled to. Various agitations in Kantipur, Apca House, SamacharPatra, ECR FM, HBC FM clearly indicate this.
6)मजदुरहरूको सङ्गठित हुने र सामूहिक सौदाबाजी गर्ने श्रम ऐन २०४८ प्रदत्त अधिकार साथै श्रमजीवी पत्रकार ऐन पहिलो संशोधन २०६४ को दफा ३४ क मा उल्लेखित पत्रकार मजदुरहरूको टे्रड युनियन अधिकारलाई नेपालका सञ्चारमाध्यमका व्यवस्थापनले कुण्ठित गर्ने प्रयासलाई संस्थागत गर्न खोज्दा बेलाबेलामा प्रतिष्ठित भनिएका सञ्चारमाध्यमहरू विवाद र बद्नाम हुँदै आएका छन् ।
6) So called reputed media houses have come into controversy whenever they tried to institutionalize suppression of organizational rights as envisaged in acts of 2048 and 2064.
7) छलफल चलिरहेको बेला व्यवस्थापन पक्षले पहिले नै बोलाएर राखेका युवाहरूले एकजना मजदुर प्रतिनिधिलाई ‘जहिले पनि माओवादीकै माग पूरा गर्नुपर्ने, गरिन्न के गर्छौ गर’ भन्दै हातपात गरेका थिए । हिमाल खबर पत्रिकाको व्यवस्थापनले वार्ता गर्न बोलाएका आफ्ना मजदुरहरूमाथि उल्टै गुन्डाहरू बोलाएर आक्रमण गरेको दाबी । ‘वार्ता गर्न बोलाएर मजदुरहरू त्यहाँ गएका थिए । तर, एक्कासि गुन्डाहरू लगाएर मजदुरहरूमाथि आक्रमण गरियो–’हिमाल मिडियाले वर्षौंदेखि काम गरिरहेका स्थायी कर्मचारीहरू विनाकारण निकाल्दा चुप लाग्ने दलहरूले मजदुरहरूको पक्षमा कुरा उठ्दा माओवादीले आक्रमण गर्यो भनेर आरोप लगाउनु कहाँको जायज कुरा हो,??????
7) During negotiation, some youths deployed by the Management tried to manhandle representatives of employees. Employees claim that Himal Media tried to take help of goons to attack employees. And they further state that the political parties, who remained mute when employees were expelled on baseless grounds, have no right to accuse the Maoists for involvement.
