Calls For Conciliation: Newspaper’s Distribution Is Blocked

IFJ Calls For Conciliation As Newspaper’s Distribution Is Blocked In Nepal

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), in expressing concern over incidents within the daily newspaper Rajdhani, which led to the distribution of the May 19 edition being blocked.

Workers have since been staging a sit-in protest outside the newspaper office in the Kupondole area of Kathmandu.

Reports from IFJ sources indicate that the employees of Rajdhani on May 19 put forward a five-point charter of demands including the regularisation of staff who had put in more than 240 days of service and the implementation of relevant laws on minimum wages. Soon afterwards, they seized all copies of the newspaper that were being readied for distribution in the Kathmandu valley.

“We are disturbed by this sequence of events and call on both sides to settle all issues that stand between them in a spirit of fairness and mutual accommodation”, said the IFJ Asia Pacific.

The IFJ supports the FNJ call that the production and distribution of the newspaper be resumed, so that an environment is created for talks which could address all issues of concern.

ENDS

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