Govt serious on media sector issues: Minister Sharma

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Oct. 2: Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has said that the government is serious and sensitive to labour problems that have lately surfaced in the news media sector.

She made the responses at a programme held today to draw government attention to the media issues by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), the Committee on Press Freedom and Promotion of Working Journalists' Rights and the Working Journalists Association.

She mentioned that the government has been giving due importance to the promotion of the news media and benefits of the workers.

She also pointed out the need to move forward by addressing labour issues and said the MoCIT has been showing its concern about it.

"The Ministry has been showing concern in the labour issues, as Press Registrar also has the role in it, Chief of the Information and Broadcasting Department has been directed to coordinate between workers and management for sorting out labour issues," she Minister Sharma.

The government is clear that as far as possible, the agreement between the workers and the management should be made in the interest of the workers, or else the doors for the workers to seek legal treatment should be opened, she said.

The CIT Minister viewed that it was the government's responsibility to compulsorily implement minimum wage and social security programme in the journalism sector.