Tiranga TV, a news and current affairs channel by Veecon media, is facing commotion as its employees are allegedly being fired without any prior notice. Tiranga TV is backed by Kapil Sibal. The fired employees held a silent protest at Press Club in Delhi on July 3, demanding their salaries to be paid.
Termination Letters Without Notice
The channel was launched as ‘Harvest TV’ in January 2019 and has been a part of several controversies since then.
The channel has reportedly terminated 30 employees and has stated that it does not have enough funds to run the channel and therefore, cannot hire fresh employees or pay those who are employed.
Several employees from various departments are now left jobless.
The Logical Indian spoke to Sushil Immanuel Kotian, the ex-senior editor at Tiranga TV. “As many as 30 journalists and people from the technical team been asked to leave the channel. My name was in the first list of people who were chucked out. I was given my termination letter on June 18. No proper reason was mentioned in the letter,” he said.
We the employees of @NewsHtn (Tiranga TV) are being fired with just 1 month salary and without any clarity. We would want to meet with @KapilSibal as no one from management has addressed us. @INCIndia @RahulGandhi @PrakashJavdekar @IndEditorsGuild @ShekharGupta @BJP4India
— Sushil Immanuel Kotian (@kotiansushil) July 2, 2019
The second termination list came on July 1, after which everyone was aware of the situation, who then raised their anguish.
“I am not the only one to face such harassment. Another senior reporter, Zafar, in Kashmir, was asked to send the office equipment back to Delhi for renewal of their insurance. But the equipment was never returned. This is nothing but an attempt to fool journalists and add to their plight,” Sushil added.
Management Remains Mum
“We tried reaching out to Kapil Sibal and also a few senior members from the channel. We also submitted a letter to the management addressing our issues. However, our requests were not addressed and later turned down, ” Sushil told The Logical Indian.
Sushil also said that many people across the departments were asked to leave with just a month’s salary. There were many fresh graduates from some of the prestigious colleges who had just entered the industry and were subjected to such difficulties.
“Channels shut down abruptly, and we employees always end up suffering. There is a need for some strict measures in this volatile industry, and not everybody should be able to start a channel if there are no funds to secure the future of the channel and the employees. There has to be a long term plan,” Sushil said.
According to the reporters at the channel, they were told if the channel does not perform well, it will be transformed into a digital platform. However, even the employees of the digital team have been asked to leave.
Employees Demand Their Dues
“In an industry, where employees have to work more than 12 hours and are not paid enough for it. It is shocking to see how the employees are ill-treated and asked to leave without any reason. Why is it that we need to beg for what we deserve?” Sushil added.
The Logical Indian also spoke to Shreya, another reporter at Tiranga TV.
“I was hired in May before the elections. We were told that the channel would continue for at least two years,” she said.
“Suddenly, there was a spree of termination letters. We went to Kapil Sibal’s residence on July 3 but were not allowed to meet him. We submitted a memorandum but received no response. We understand every company faces financial crisis, but there has to be a respectable way to deal with it,” she added.
Another employee, Mohit Chauhan, expressed his concerns. “There were a lot of rumours about the company shutting down soon. On July 1, I received a call from the HR, and I was given my termination letter. The HR had no reasons to support the decision, and I was left helpless,” Mohit said.
“We are not activists. We are journalists. We want our salaries, and we do not have any intention to defame the channel. We are fortunate to have Kapil Sibal associated with the channel. Otherwise, our voices would not have reached out to people,” he added.
The employees are anticipating the channel to shut down in July itself. They demand their salaries to be paid and compensation for the harassment they have been put through.
The wrongful termination of the employees raises questions about the breach of Labour Laws and its regulations and speaks volumes about the injustice towards the employees.
The Logical Indian stands in support of all the employees who deserve to get their salaries. We hope to see some positive results for their contribution to the organisation and urge the higher authorities and the management to ensure justice is served to the employees.
