Journalists working with the Annapurna Post daily published by Nepal News International Pvt Ltd have resigned en masse.
The journalists have sent a signed letter to editor Akhanda Bhandari informing they are resigning effective from April 16.
An Annapurna Post journalist told Setopati that 12 more journalists apart from those who resigned en masse have already resigned individually. "They had only paid half the salary since last April. We have been forced to resign after they repeatedly sought resignation in the past few days," the journalist stated.
The journalists claim in the resignation letter that the management put pressure for resignation through different department heads while editor Bhandari convened meetings on March 4 and March 9 to seek resignation.
They add that Bhandari cited instructions from above to seek resignation as decision has been taken to fold the newspaper and go online.
The resigning journalists have demanded deducted salary during the pandemic, unpaid festival bonus of one month for last Dashain, and payment of gratuity, provident fund, medical expenses, unused leaves and others.
District correspondents of the publication, meanwhile, have claimed that they have been forcibly downgraded to stringers.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manas Ghimire told Setopati that the print edition will not come out from the month of Baishakh starting mid-April. "Everyone in the management including me and not just the journalists will have to quit if the institution is in loss. We have requested them due to compulsion. There is a challenge about how to run the paper. The situation may continue for two-three more months."
He conceded that he spoke on behalf of the management in the meeting with journalists but claimed that the publication has not said what it will offer to the quitting staffers. "We will provide additional information after holding discussion with chairman."
He revealed that the online edition will be refined more after ending print edition and added that additional human resources will be recruited for the online edition.
