Argentina: Telam Journalists Seek Parliamentary Protection

Journalists at Argentina's state-owned Telam news agency are petitioning for parliamentary protection following last week's mass lay-off, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

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"We present a bill for Telam to be a parliament-controlled news agency with representation of majorities and minorities; for the board to be chosen by those who know, not as now," Mariano Suarez, a journalist and lawyer, told a press conference in Buenos Aires.

According to the bill, the state-owned communications agency would become a public media company.

Following the dismissal of over 350 employees last week – more than 40 percent of the total staff – Telam journalists launched an indefinite, peaceful strike in the company headquarters in Buenos Aires.

Hernan Lombardi, of the Federal System of Media and Public Content, was called to the Chamber of Deputies to explain the dismissal of the 354 state employees.

According to a comment posted on the minister's Twitter account, Lombardi blames mismanagement by federal institutions and agencies.

Approximately 40 percent of the Telam media force was dismissed to help realize the fiscal deficit demanded by the IMF following the new loan deal signed by the Argentine government.

In a critical analysis written for teleSUR, Camil Straschnoy, a Telam employee, said that among those released from their state contracts were people with cancer, diabetes and workers had devoted 30 years to the company.

"The cuts are always made to whom they assume are the weakest link: the workers," he wrote. "While the government continues to favour financial speculators and economic oligopolies, President Mauricio Macri has decided to dismiss scientists, technicians and now also journalists working in different public sector bodies.

"To justify the redundancies, Telam's board argued that in recent years there was 'bloated hiring.' This is false, because although the number of employees did grow, responsibilities expanded due to the need to keep up with technological demands."

A 'great national press march' is being organized for Thursday in Buenos Aires, with the support of several social organizations and political parties.

Javier Merlo, journalist and administrative head of Telam in Viedma, said: "We understand that what is happening is a total scrapping of correspondents throughout the country.

"It is trying to mute national news, the true reflection of the country at a national and international level, because the agency has subscriptions from other countries."