Poor side of you

After a lull of a few days, the Maoist-aligned Communication, Printing and Publications Workers' Union (CPPWU) has done it again — disrupt the distribution of The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Post. Last time, the disruption went on for a week, and the publishers lost millions of rupees. This time, they have also obstructed the printing (Sunday's edition). All this ostensibly because the two newspapers carried Patan Appellate Court's summons to three union leaders asking them why the court should not issue a stay order against such disruptions. On Saturday night, union workers gheraoed the printing press and threatened staffers there. On Saturday morning, they seized all copies of both papers on the grounds that the editions carried news against them . On Friday evening, they had threatened editorial staffers at Annapurna Post with obstructing the distribution if the paper carried the news.The union workers have crossed reasonable limits. Now that the question of the news is over, how can they defend the continued disruption of printing or publication? Present union action at these newspapers has been over the demands of the cycle boys who deliver these papers and who are also allied with CPPWU. However, the boys are related to these newspapers only indirectly, as they are, for all legal and practical purposes, the employees of the nine distributors of these newspapers. This legal fact has made the workers' action all the more galling. They are supposed to put their demands or grievances before their management — the distributors concerned. In this, therefore, the International Media Network Nepal (Pvt) Ltd., the publisher of THT, and the News Media (Pvt) Ltd., the publisher of Annapurna Post, are not involved in any way. The union's illegal action has endangered the livelihood of 350 families directly dependent on these organisations.

CPPWU members have started a go-slow at the Kantipur Publications too, threatening stronger action. Some time ago, they had done it at Kamana Prakashan. Recently, their action led to the suspension of services of HBC FM. However, it may not mean that all of their grievances are necessarily unreasonable. This is something to be tested at the negotiating table if the disputants come with a flexible approach. What has been stressed here is the wrongness of their method. Obstruction of the publication or distribution of newspapers amounts to an assault on the independent functioning of the news media and this does not in any way promote democracy. Above all, the unionists have trampled upon the citizen's right to know. It is a universal marketing practice and also perfectly legal in Nepal to have newspapers reached to the ultimate consumers through a network of independent distributors. It becomes the duty of the government to protect the publishers faced with such illegal obstructions and threats. On their part, the Maoist leadership must become sensitive to the agreements they have signed in which they have expressed their commitment to free press, competitive politics and democracy.

Source: The Himalayan Times, August 13, 2007