BSS staff on strike

Staff members of Bangladesh's national news agency have gone on strike protesting what they see as 'superseding of seniority' in the appointment of a colleague as the managing editor.

Operations of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) came to a halt around 2.20pm on Tuesday as the BSS Employees' Union (BEU) stopped work and began a sit-in in front of the newly appointed managing editor's office.

BEU Organising Secretary Mohammad Ali Khan told bdnews24.com: "Special Correspondent Manoj Kanti Roy has been appointed the managing editor by superseding seniority. The strike is in protest against the move."

Union President Kamal Uddin said, under the service rules, a managing editor must have at least 15 years of experience as a working journalist.

“But the new Managing Editor Manoj Kanti Roy does not have that qualification. Besides, he has always gone against the staff’s demands since he joined BSS in 1993,” he said.

“We will stop our protests if somebody else takes his place,” he added.

Kamal said peaceful protests would continue until their demand was met.

BSS Chief Editor and Managing Director Abul Kalam Azad appointed Special Correspondent Manoj Kanti Roy to the post of managing editor in the morning.

Employees of the organisation's administration, marketing, finance and IT wings stopped working and began protesting as soon as the appointment was announced through an official memo.

The agitators also cordoned-off Azad's office, but he was not there then.

According to BSS staff, news services of the country's national news agency were suspended for an hour after the strike began.

Khan, however, said that services were down between 2pm and 3.30pm due to a power failure.

Up till 7:30 in the evening, the BSS website showed that the last news was posted at 12:38pm on Tuesday. But activity resumed after 7:30pm.

In the evening our correspondent found BSS staff sitting in front of the managing editor’s office and shouting slogans from time to time. The chief reporter and other newsroom staff were working next to them.

Chief Reporter Madhusudan Mandal said the managing editor post was empty for nine months.

“This incident is tarnishing the organisation’s work and reputation. Our reporters Enamul Haque Babul, Khairuzzaman Kamal, Ali Sanwar, Mojibul Jitu, Shahidul Haque and the new managing editor are all being held captive,” he said.

“At least three of them are diabetes patients. They didn’t get to eat in the afternoon,” he added.