Afroz Alam Sahil for BeyondHeadlines
PUNE: Over fifty staffers at Pune DNA are facing the worst ordeal of their life after the Human Resource (HR) team from Mumbai at the directions of company management suddenly swooped down at the DNA newspaper office located in Vega Centre in Swargate announcing an abrupt shutdown on Friday evening.
The staffers who were busy working were shocked to hear the news and reasoned out with the three HR staffers and demanded that they be adequately compensated before shutting the operations. The HR staffers were reluctant to announce the sops and instead hardened their stand against the employees.
The employees have demanded that they be given eight months full salary ( based on Cost to Company ) and maintained any failure on the part of the management would lead to legal case being filed against the company.
Shocked employees of the company confided to BeyondHeadlines that the HR staffers initially summoned four staffers from the editorial department ( three reporters and one photographers on probation ) for full and final settlement which was opposed tooth and nail by all the employees of the Pune Edition.
Even as the news is published, negotiations were on between the HR and employees over compensation. “We media persons keep writing about various stuff related to rights of the people and rehabilitation. In the present case, the company has gone ahead with illegal termination of the services and is the worst example of how media industry is functioning in recent times. We want adequate compensation and graceful exit. Dictatorial and unilateral practices in handling such sensitive issues should be stopped,” said one of the employee.
Another employee said that it was the end of the world for him as he had no other job than the existing one at DNA. “Where will I find job at such a short notice. Where is the compensation. The HR officials are threatening us and offering a pittance for years of service offered to the newspaper,” he added.
Meanwhile, journalists associations from different states of the country have been informed about the incident and an action plan is likely to be readied by Monday, sources said. Meanwhile Bangalore DNA employees too alleged that the edition was being shut permanently and they have been offered a raw deal.
