GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2019-20
Goa Union of Journalists
GOA UNION OF JOURNALISTS
Registered: Registration No 148, Indian Trade Unions Act, 1926. Office of the Registrar of Trade Unions/ Government of Goa, Daman and Diu.
GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2019-20
Good evening friends.
On behalf of the GUJ executive committee, I
welcome you all. This Annual General Body Meeting of 2019-2020 was scheduled to
be held in June 2020 but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
Friends, one of the most important part of any
annual general body meeting is the report of an eventful year. Here is what
happened.
New committee in place
The new GUJ executive committee was formally
elected on June 15, 2019. Rajtilak Naik was elected as the President for
a two-year term. Vasudev Pagi, Kailas Naik, Sagun Gawade, Glenn Costa, Pramod
Thakur, Tulsidas Raul, Ganesh Shetkar, Audumber Shinde, Kanzil Rodrigues and
Suraj Nandrekar were the 10 executive committee members who were elected the
same day.
The joint meeting of the outgoing and newly-elected
executive committee was held on June 22 to complete the handover formalities
and elect new office-bearers.
During the meeting, Glenn Costa and Sagun Gawade
were elected as vice presidents, Vasudev Pagi as general secretary, Kailas Naik
as treasurer, Ganesh Shetkar as organizing secretary and Pramod Thakur as joint
secretary.
Six additional members were co-opted into the
committee.
Our demands…
Soon after taking charge, the committee
submitted various demands to chief minister Pramod Sawant, deputy chief
minister Vijai Sardesai, department of information and publicity and the office
of the labour commissioner.
These demands included the following:
1: Reviving and re-visiting the journalist's
pension scheme.
2: Scheme of subsidized laptops, cameras,
computers for deserving journalists.
3: The Patrakar Krutadnyata Nidhi scheme.
4: A new scheme for journalists on the lines of
a medical priority scheme.
5: Housing scheme for journalists.
6: Implementation of the Majithia Wage
Board.
7: Resolution of matters pending with the labour
department.
8: Establishment of a Press Club in Goa on the
lines of press clubs in major metros.
Empowering women journalists
An exclusive workshop for women journalists' in
the state was organised in Panaji.
Devika Sequeira (Goa's first woman journalist)
and Suhasini Prabhugaonkar (first woman president of the Goa Union of
Journalists) were both felicitated.
The workshop aimed at empowering women
journalists by providing them training in team building, self-realization,
insight on sexual harassment at workplace, news gathering and other issues.
Around 100 women journalists, journalism
students and other journalists participated.
Spirituality and Organ Donation
GUJ collaborated with the Indian Medical
Association, Goa Chapter and Goa Science Centre to organise a unique interface
program, ‘Spirituality and Organ Donation’.
Long-pending demand of electronic media
realised
Membership of GUJ for electronic media was a
long-pending demand which was finally realized by the new executive committee
during a special General Body Meeting.
The meeting amended the GUJ constitution (Under
the Membership Rule No: 5 of the GUJ Constitution) and adopted the
sub-committee report on electronic media membership of GUJ.
In its first meeting itself, the executive
committee appointed a sub-committee to study the electronic media membership
issue and submit a report on a fast-track basis. The sub-committee succeeded in
preparing a detailed report in a record time which was placed before the executive
committee and passed.
The Special General Body deliberated on the
sub-committee report and unanimously passed the resolution-making way for VOM
journalists to become members.
There was more…
The number of co-opted members in the GUJ
executive committee were limited to six. New GUJ election code and forming of
universal GUJ competition rules was also taken up. Six GUJ competition
categories were introduced.
Heart smart training program for journalists
Manipal Hospitals Goa in collaboration with GUJ
organised a unique ‘Heart Smart Training Program’ exclusively for members of
the media fraternity. The event was part of the World Heart Day awareness
program.
The ‘Heart Smart Training Program’ had
approximately 30 journalists as participants who underwent a thorough check-up
for blood pressure, sugar and ECG.
Meetings with Labour Commissioner
GUJ had a series of meetings with the Labour
Commissioner, Deputy Labour Commissioner and the Minister for Labour and
Employment. As a follow-up to our meetings, the Office of the Labour
Commissioner started the initial process to implement the Majithia wage board
by way of data collection from each of the newspaper houses.
Retrenchment of journalists
GUJ met to discuss the retrenchment of
journalists. There were three complaints. From among them, Andrea
Fernandes, whose services were discontinued by Herald publications, agreed to
fight her case in the Labour court. GUJ provided her all the required assistance.
She has won the case in the Labour court. The case is now pending with the
tribunal.
In support of
journalists
GUJ was in receipt of a complaint from
journalist Harish Volvoikar who said he was verbally abused by MLA and chief of
Goa Forward Party Vijai Sardesai during a press conference. The complaint was
supported with AV evidence of the press conference. Committee discussed this
issue in detail and condemned the act of Sardesai, besides seeking an apology.
GUJ marked its protest by sporting black
armbands during a press conference which was called by Goa Forward.
Less than 24 hours after he was officially
intimated by the union, Sardesai in a letter to GUJ president expressed sincere
regret over the incident.
GUJ also stood in support of senior
photojournalist Soiru Komarpant of Dainik Gomantak who was manhandled by
on-duty policemen attached to the Fatorda police station.
GUJ met DIGP Rajesh Kumar (IPS) and submitted a
memorandum demanding immediate suspension of the guilty policemen. Later, two
policemen in the manhandling case were suspended.
When Goa journalists -- Chetan Gawas of Prudent
Media and Mahesh Govekar of Goa 365 -- were manhandled by Baburao Dhuri, chief
of Dodamarg Shiv Sena, and his supporters, during the territory merger meeting
at Dodamarg in Maharashtra, GUJ condemned the cowardly act and demand an
immediate apology from the Dodamarg Shiv Sena chief. Dhuri later tendered a
public apology.
In the state legislative assembly…
A workshop on ‘Practice and Procedures of Goa
Legislative Assembly at the Assembly complex in Porvorim drew very good
response.
Former union minister Ramakant Khalap guided the
participants on the practice and procedures of the Goa legislative assembly.
Finance secretary Daulat Hawaldar educated journalists on the Budget and its
nuances. Under secretary, legislature, Hercules Noronha spoke on the
working of the Goa legislative assembly.
GUJ make the cut at iconic Kala Ghoda Arts festival…
Three Goan photojournalists representing the Goa Union of Journalists made it to the final list of 20 selected photojournalists from the country to display their work at the internationally acclaimed 'Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai 2020'.
GUJ President and special photographer (The Times of India-Goa) Rajtilak Naik, principal photographer (Gomantak Times) Atish Naik and photographer (The Navhind Times) Hemant Parab displayed their work on social issues along with other noted photojournalists from across the country at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai.
Protection to Goan journalists
Goa is set to become the second state after
Maharashtra to have a legislation that protects journalists from violence and
damage to life and property. The Goa government has assured to introduce a 'Goa
Journalist Welfare Bill' which will provide protection to journalists from
violence and any damage to life and property, while discharging professional
duties.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant made the
announcement in his budget speech. Maharashtra is the only other state to have
such a legislation.
Covid-19 and all the troubles
Covid-19 turned out to be a difficult time for
journalists with several among us losing jobs. Some saw their salaries being
slashed. GUJ wrote to all media houses in Goa to avoid salary and job cuts. The
need of the hour was to adopt a humane approach.
Online press conferences
GUJ submitted a letter to chief minister Pramod
Sawant, leader of opposition, Digambar Kamat, chief secretary and all political
parties requesting them not to hold any physical press conference due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. A special request was made to hold online press conferences.
All stakeholders accepted the proposal.
Going digital
Considering the health safety of its members,
GUJ executive committee meetings were held on digital mode during the Covid-19
pandemic.
During the lockdown
A series of meetings were held with the chief
minister Pramod Sawant, department of information and publicity and the police
to ensure that operations of the newspaper and electronic media offices and
distribution of newspapers doing the initial days of lockdown.
All work and no play…
An exhibition match was played between the Goa
Union of Journalists and the Goa Football Development Corporation (GFDC) at the
GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. Ports minister Michael Lobo was among those
who took the field, while journalists put on their boots for an impressive
performance.
Congratulations, Teja
GUJ executive committee member Teja Arondekar
was appointed on the anti-raging committee of the Goa College of Pharmacy.
No more with us
Senior sports journalist Minoo Fernandes and
senior photojournalist Prashant Elekar are no longer with us. GUJ offered
condolences to the bereaved families.
A new beginning…
GUJ has started the process of drawing up three
categories of its members, in line with provisions of the GUJ Constitution and
that of Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ). The membership will be
of three categories as notified under Article 5 of the GUJ Constitution. It
includes Ordinary members, Associate members and Honorary members.
Other measures…
GUJ has started work on an interactive website,
membership cards and provisional free parking facility for journalists in
Panaji.
Our flagship initiatives, GUJ Knowledge and
Awareness program and GUJ workshop series, could not be started due to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
GUJ office renovation plan has suffered due to
the Covid-19 pandemic.
Finally…
This is a much-delayed general body meeting, but
there was very little we could do due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our term
also ends in a couple of months and we will continue to work in the best
interest of Goan journalists.
I would like to place on record my appreciation
of president Rajtilak Naik who has done everything that was humanly possible
during his term, and to my executive committee members who have been my pillars
of strength.
Thank You.
Vasudev Pagi,
General Secretary
Goa Union of Journalists
Dated: 27-03-2021
