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Sridhar V

@sritara

11 Feb

Thread:
Once upon a time auto companies (among others) used to hire workers as trainees, and keep them as trainees for prolonged periods in order to avoid paying them proper wages and statutory benefits. Now media companies, among them industry leaders do the same.

Since the pandemic several leading media companies, after having sacked journos and imposed wage cuts, have found been innovative in finding new ways to further cut the wage bill. The trick is to engage new journos and take them as "trainees".

The trick is to extend and prolong the trainee's "contract" so that the media companies - many of them the venerable ones from another era - can shortchange these young journos during the pandemic.

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Sridhar V

@sritara

10 Feb

@sritara

Frontline’s latest issue has a comprehensive package of five stories on the budget, each focusing on a particular aspect. @sritara reckons this is the most socially disruptive and divisive budget in the last three decades frontline.thehindu.com/economy/union-…

@DasguptaZico

@DasguptaZico argues that the Budget provides neither an impetus to investment and growth nor provides income support to the worst-hit in the pandemic frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/a-b…

@ramakumarr

@ramakumarr argues that the budget, coming as it does in the midst of unprecedented protests by peasants, mocks them and threatens to squeeze their incomes even more

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Sridhar V

@sritara

10 Sep 20

A recent NBER research paper by three Indian-origin authors debunks NaMO Govt's claims of success in handling the pandemic. It shows how the Case Fatality Rate in India, when adjusted for age, in unconscionably high.

Recall that Covid was always supposed to be a disease in which fatalities among the elderly was higher. Given that India is a relatively "young" country, the expectation (statistically speaking) is that overall fatalities would be lower because of the relatively young population.

The study reveals that when adjusted for age distribution in the population, the CFR in India is far higher. It also attempts to examine CFR in terms of the viral disease's lagged effect, considering the incubation period.

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Sridhar V

@sritara

19 Jun 20

And, now comes a shocker of the treatment of a 58-yr old employee of a Chennai-based media company who has worked for almost 30 years. Informed on the phone that the company's retirement age has been reduced from 60 to 58. In good faith he accepted, and resigned! Questions abound

How could a company reduce the retirement age overnight, without notice? How could the retirement age, fixed by a tripartite agreement including the TN Govt many years ago, be reduced uniliaterally, by one party?

This person had in fact, crossed the age of 58, and so assumed that his time was up. Clearly this amounts to forcing a person out by means of false information. That a media company can run it like a lala ka dukan says much about the nature of media ownership in India.

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Sridhar V

@sritara

19 Jun 20

Unconfirmed reports of journalists across the country of a prominent Chennai-based media companyt being informally offered "option" of "resigning" "voluntarily" or to face the sack. Clearly, lockdown is ideal for dark business.

Sources indicate the offer is of "severance" pay of 3 months pay, which is anyway the notice period. Shockingly, the "offer" is completely informal - no written terms on offer. Totally verbal, issued by section heads. This is like the zaminadari are back!

At least 40-50 jobs countrywide may be at risk in this round, the first coordinated shedding of working journalists.

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Sridhar V

@sritara

29 May 20

DeRailway Minister #PiGo lets out a secret: He has been running a train service - Shramik Specials - that can only be properly described as #Covid on Wheels Thread 1/8

After reports of several deaths of passengers travelling on Shramik Specials Railway Minister #PiGo now asks those with “serious ailments” not to travel aboard these trains. PiGo’s first admission that these trains are death traps for those desperate to reach home. 2/8

Remember #PiGo ’s earlier infamous comment that no Indian died of starvation during lockdown? Doesn’t #PiGo know that someone travelling on these trains in peak summer, w/o food or water for days doesn’t have to die of a serious ailment? Starvation and dehydration would do. 3/8

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