ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Jordan Times will not be published on Tuesday due to a one-day strike to be observed Monday by the employees of the Jordan Press Foundation (JPF) which also publishes Al Rai Arabic daily.

The decision to strike was taken after the appointment of a new board of directors headed by former interior minister Mazen Saket whom they described in a statement as an “enemy of press freedoms”.

The state-owned Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF) on Sunday appointed Saket as the new JPF chairman, succeeding Ali Al Ayed, whose resignation was demanded by the protesters after he reportedly called in police into the foundation’s premises to interfere in the protest last week.

The move by SSIF, which owns around 55 per cent of foundation’s shares, to replace the board of directors, aimed at putting an end to the 35-day sit-in by JPF employees who are demanding a new management and the implementation of a labour agreement signed in 2011.

Saket’s appointment failed to change the situation as protesting journalists and workers rejected the names of some appointees to the new board of directors.

The former interior minister was initially welcomed by protesters as he visited the protest tent erected on JPF premises, but soon after the new names of other board members were leaked, employees shouted slogans against the SSIF selection as it included columnists from two other competitors — Ad Dustour and Al Ghad dailies — and a former information minister.

The protest flared as Saket stated that he has plans to restructure the paper, which the employees’ statement interpreted as a plan to lay off employees.

Saket left the newspaper’s offices after failing to communicate with the sit-in leaders.

The employees of the JPF sought in their continued protests to pressure the administration to honour a labour agreement signed two years ago between the employees’ representatives and the Ministry of Labour, which appoints SSIF representatives on the board. The employees want the management to implement the 2011 government-sponsored agreement, under which they were promised a restructuring of salaries.

After the failure of the government to respond to their demands following weeks of protests, the protesting employees started also calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

In addition, they have started a boycott of the news of the prime minister and his government, citing the negative responses they have received from the government, which controls the JPF’s board of directors through the Social Security Corporation.

On Sunday, the statement by JPF employees said the sit-in was intended to “reform Al Rai by restoring its historic role in serving Jordanians and the Hashemite Throne and not the government of Abdullah Ensour”.

“As we were seeking to upgrade the performance of the establishment professionally and administratively, Saket was parachuted upon us to immediately announce that he would terminate the services of employees through restructuring and dismissing half of the workers,” the statement continued.

In a statement issued last week, the protesting employees also criticizsed the “government’s unacceptable interference in the affairs of Al Rai”.

JPF Director General Omran Kheir submitted his resignation last Monday amid workers’ demands of replacing the entire board, where SSC representatives call the shots.

Last week, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) called on His Majesty King Abdullah to intervene to help Al Rai and Ad Dustour newspapers overcome their financial troubles and the challenges facing them as a result of their “weak boards”.

In the statement, the JPA council said it has repeatedly called on the past three consecutive governments, through official correspondence and meetings, to deal with problems facing the two press institutions, whose board members are appointed by the government, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The association stressed the need to appoint responsible boards for both newspapers, with members selected without wasta or favouritism, who can increase revenues by enhancing work conditions instead of threatening to lay off workers under the pretext of restructuring.


* Jordan Times