Dear Editor,
Prior to the election of a new executive of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) in March this year, news had circulated of a culture of abuse entrenched in a local newsroom. Although the issue never made it to the floor of the GPA Annual General Meeting, journalists across the board are victims of what I call ‘expected exploitation.’
Journalism, as understood, is not a nine-to-five job. But knowledge of the extended and uncertain hours aside, the responsibility of media houses to respect and provide fair and decent work conditions and wages cannot be abdicated.
It is hardly news that journalists in both the private and state media are dissatisfied and unhappy with working conditions and wages as was recently reported. The majority of local journalists are working class, but the decision to serve in the profession should not have to include a vow of poverty or silence in the face of abuses. Also, I rather suspect that if journalists were to document their experiences within the last 10 years, labour authorities would have a catalogue of abuse and exploitation to probe.
I have been out of the system for a few years, but I remember that overtime often went unrecognised and people hardly claimed it back; I certainly never did, having accepted that we work long hours.
While media houses largely respect labour laws and offer protection for staff, low wages, unpaid overtime, and in some instances, limited maternity protection are persistent problems. For young media workers fresh out of school, the willingness to work is often greater than the willingness to question unfair wages and limited protection. And while journalists are toiling the extra hours and failing to log overtime, management in many newsrooms across the country log and claim overtime dues.
The growth of the media industry has to be underpinned by an enabling environment that promotes fair wages, sufficient benefits, training, and improved working conditions. It is against this backdrop that I support the move by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Simona Broomes to bring media houses in line with our labour laws.
I urge Minister Broomes to investigate company policies in keeping with the relevant labour laws, but specifically:
* Maternity protection
* Paid overtime
* Work-related injuries
* Disciplinary procedures
Further, I call on the new executive of the GPA to educate young media workers about their rights under the labour laws, and to actively advance the professional and social interests of those so categorised.
Yours faithfully,
Iana Seales