Pinarayi calls for government intervention to settle strike by Madhyamam staff
Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday urged the State government to intervene and resolve the ongoing strike by employees of Madhyamam daily, as journalists’ unions mounted a day-and-night protest in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram over the reported non-payment of wages for eight months.
Protest in Thiruvananthapuram
Mr. Vijayan addressed a joint agitation organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and the Kerala Newspaper Employees’ Federation (KNEF), which has drawn the backing of 12 Central and State trade unions. The demonstration, held outside the Secretariat, was launched in response to the Madhyamam newspaper management’s stance on withholding salaries, organisers said.
Call for State intervention
Urging immediate action from the government, Mr. Vijayan reminded the gathering that the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration had stepped in earlier to facilitate a temporary compromise between the management and employees. He said the present government should similarly take the initiative to “correct” the Madhyamam management, which, he noted, was taking positions “unacceptable to anyone.”
Critique of management practices
The Opposition leader said employees at Madhyamam were seeking nothing more than their rightful salaries. He argued that the situation unfolding at the newspaper should not occur in any media organisation—or in any modern commercial establishment. He criticised what he described as policies typically associated with corporates in neo-liberal times being applied in a media house, including instances where permanent staff were allegedly pressured to quit and subsequently taken back as contract employees. Such practices, he said, were unacceptable not only to the protesting staff but to employees across Kerala.
Union backing and solidarity
The protest has been coordinated by the state’s prominent journalist and newspaper employee bodies and supported by a broad spectrum of trade unions, reflecting a wider labour solidarity with the Madhyamam staff. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Vijayan expressed his support for the demonstrators and emphasised the need for a fair resolution that upholds workers’ rights.
Background
According to the organisers, employees have been agitating over the withholding of salaries for eight months. The earlier intervention by the LDF government had led to a temporary settlement, but the dispute has since resurfaced, prompting the latest round of protests and appeals for official mediation.
Significance
Mr. Vijayan’s remarks place renewed pressure on the State to mediate in the wage dispute and address concerns over employment practices within the media sector. The call reflects broader anxieties among labour groups about contractualisation and delayed wage payments, and underscores the growing demand for decisive government action to settle the standoff.
Published: September 29, 2026
