FMETU is is the largest and strong non-partisan and most active organization of journalists that lobby on behalf of press freedom in Sri Lanka while protecting the rights of the working class.


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History

Founding Members

Dharmasiri Lankapeli (Lake house Employees Union)
Ranjith Chandrasekera (SLRC Technical Officers Union) (Founder President)
Gration Liyanage (Upali News Papers Employee’s Union)
Hemantha Chandrasekara    (Upali News Papers Employee’s Union)
A.D.R. Amarasekera (ITN Technical Officers Union)
Prasanna Uduwag (SLRC Technical Officers Union)
G.V. Sriyananda (SLBC Employee’s Union)
Nandalal Perera (Lake house Employees Union)
L. N. R. Jayasingha (Lake house Employees Union)
Mahendra Abesekara (Lake house Employees Union)
W. H. Upasena (SLBC Programmers Producers Union)
W. Ranatunga (SLBC Employee’s Union)
Cassion Kooray (SLBC Employee’s Union)
B.H.K. Harischandra (Upali News Papers Employee’s Union)
Gamine Munasinghe (Upali News Papers Employee’s Union)
Wajira Wijewardena (SLBC Programmers Producers Union)
Hemajith Fernando (SLBC Programmers Producers Union)
H. A. P. Rohan (SLRC Technical Officers Union)
Uditha Hewawasam (ITN Technical Officers Union)
M. Thayaparan (ITN Technical Officers Union)
Ajith P. Jayawardena (ITN Employee’s Union)
Mangala Pathirana (ITN Employee’s Union)
Asiri Soysa (ITN Employee’s Union)
Lankajith Kavikesawa (SLRC Technical Officers Union)
Charaka Samaraweera (SLRC Technical Officers Union)  

What We Have Done

The FMETU during the past has actively taken part in securing the rights of journalists in their quest for information and presentation while safeguarding the rights of journalist and media workers representing them in seeking solutions to problems in their profession. It has also worked tirelessly in uniting workers of private media institutions.

By doing so the FMETU believes in building bridges between media organizations in order to create a conducive environment for newsgathering, while ensuring media freedom and job security of media workers.

Although steps of the FMETU to liaise with other media organizations such as the Sri Lanka Working Journalists' Association (SLWJA) and the Free Media Movement (FMM) Tamil Media Alliance (TMA) and Muslim Media Forum (MMF) in order to improve the standards of journalism and to agitate on the rights of the journalists have not been totally successful, it has been able to implement several measures to secure the unity of organizations that represent media organizations by working together with the IFJ.
Journalists and media workers in Sri Lanka in general have to face the following problems during their career:

  1. the lack of a proper recruitment process,
  2. anomalies in granting promotions/incentives,
  3. has to work according to the ideology of his institution,
  4. harassment in State institutions when there is a change of government,
  5. periodic agendas of institutions. Eg: in State institutions journalist are asked to write about the war when the government is at war and write on peace when the government is at peace.
  6. personal ideologies, politics and businesses of owners of media institutions.
All these are setbacks that have to be won in the Sri Lanka media scenario.

The Government in 1994 under the leadership of the former President  Chandrika brought forth a set of guidelines to ensure media freedom in Sri Lanka. The guidelines were:

  • The broad basing of state-owned Lake House group;
  • Reform of laws relating to media and to media freedom;
  • Establishing a media training institute;
  • Improving conditions for media personnel.

 

It is the duty of groups such as the FMETU, FMM, SLWJA and the Editors’ Guild with the support of the IFJ to lobby for an independent media commission in the near future taking the above guidelines into consideration.

The absence of a broad based media culture is a major problem in Sri Lanka. Still there is no proper institution to train budding journalist. From recruitment to training and later during their journalistic career the lack of proper incentives to motivate journalist is a huge drawback. The training given by some private institutions remain questionable.

Finally the FMETU suggests that a program be initiated to:

  1. identify good journalists,
  2. give due recognition to their talents,
  3. train journalists and,
  4. stop branding journalists and pushing them to corners on political grounds.