” Journalism is a Public Service!  Wake up!  stand up!  Protect the media Industry!” – FMETU 8th Delegates Conference:

The Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions, FMETU held its 8th delegates’ convention online on October 30. The programme was supported by the International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, through the “IFJ-Union to Union, 2021 programme”.

The FMETU convention theme this year was, “Journalism is a Public Service!  Wake up!  Stand up!  protect the Media Industry!”.

I am delighted to participate in IFJ’s regional online organising conference – FUTURE POWER: Organising media in challenging times. I am representing the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions –FMETU Sri Lanka.

It is also very important that this event is focusing on impunity to mark the International Day to End Impunity.

Filipino and Russian journalists, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, were today announced as the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the news and warmly congratulates the winners, saying that this award is a recognition of the crucial role of journalists around the globe, many of whom are faced with tremendous challenges to serve the public in their countries and the world.

By Indunil Usgoda Arachchi

After nearly 200 years after the arrival in Sri Lanka, estate workers can still be considered as a community which does not possess the rights and privileges of other ordinary citizens of the country, forcing them to live a miserable life which can only be compared to the conditions of the pre-Independence era. In fact, their grievances are heard only upon signing collective agreements once in two years while their struggle for life is not something which arises only once in two years. The system of delaying collective agreements by years and offering paltry salary increments has to be changed and a proper program should be carried out by the authorities to uplift these people but in which the country has continuously failed.

Text and Pix: Indunil Usgoda Arachchi

Widowed or badly affected during the decades of conflict, the fisher community in Anthoniyarpuram, Mannar has new heroes. Groups of women have formed fisheries cooperative societies, and often spend the night at sea, diving for sea cucumbers and crustaceans in the waters of the Lagoon to keep their families alive and reconstruct lives torn apart by war

“Media Organizations Collective” is a joint organization between the Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association, Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions, Tamil Media Alliance, Muslim Media Forum, and the Young Journalists’ Association.

An online discussion on the future joint activities of this organization was held on 18 September 2021. The discussion was also joined by Jane Verhington, International Federation of Journalists Regional Director, Asia Pacific,  and Umesh Prockwell, Program Coordinator.

This joint meeting was organized under the “IFJ – Union-to-Union” 2021 program.

A media training program for the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions Federation’s website fmetu.org was held on October 16, 2016. This web training program was conducted by renowned web trainer Mr. Sajith Saranga. This training program for journalists was organized under the “IFJ – Union-to-Union” 2021 program

Post of “Provincial Journalist” inclusion to the Journalists’ Wage Board. The right of the Local Journalist Employees Provident Fund and Employees Trust Fund. Minister of Labor, Nimal Siripala de Silva On 5th April 2021 had a lengthy discussion about these issues.

The application of the registration of “Kegalle District Journalists’ Union” was handed over to the Commissioner-General of Labor Prabath Chandrakeerthi at the Ministry of Labor by District Leader, Journalist Bandara Pahalawatte. Mrs. T. C. Karunaratne, Assistant Commissioner of Labor (Trade Unions), and other leaders including the President of the Media Employees Trade Union Karunaratne Gamage are also in the picture.