19. 07. 2005

THREE JOURNALISTS OF NAPRED SACKED

VALJEVO, July 19, 2005 – Three journalists of the Valjevo weekly Napred were sacked by the director of the daily Jovan Bugarski, appointed to this position by the Valjevo Municipal Council. Journalists Slobodan Ciric, Zoran Milovanovic and president of the strike committee Radenka Filipovic were issued yesterday with the decision of the director Bugarski on their release from the current positions. The explanation of the decision, stuck to the newsroom door, said that they violated the working discipline and “with passive sitting around and loud conversation” obstructed newly appointed staff (from the Serbian Radical Party) to do their job. “This is pure tyranny of the new director. Such justification, if it wasn’t sad, would be funny. We are on the strike, which is legal, mind you, and we haven’t obstructed anyone in their job. Not to say that it is against the law to fire someone during the strike. Now we need to prove this to the court, because we have brought charges against him as soon as we found out we were sacked”, said Slobodan Ciric for the daily Danas. Yesterday’s events were just the pinnacle of what was happening in the Valjevo weekly from the day when Valjevo Municipal Council appointed new director Bugarski against the will of all employees. This reminded Valjevo people of the long past times when the pressure on the media and media darkness ruled in the country. Despite all this, the people employed in Napred weekly do not want to give up the fighting, expecting the help from the public, and before all their colleagues throughout Serbia.