Biratnagar, September 26:

Employees of the Saptakoshi FM today padlocked the radio station in Biratnagar for an indefinite period. They were protesting against the sacking of 11 employees yesterday.

Saptakoshi FM is being transmitted from Itahari and Biratnagar for

the past two years. The employees also gheraoed the Itahari office of the FM station.

Chairman of the Nepal Working Radio Journalists Association (NWRJA), Saptakoshi FM, Sanjeev Regmi, said the strike would continue until all sacked employees are reinstated.

The FM management had yesterday dismissed 11 employees, including Sanjeev Regmi, Anju Subba, Archana Parajuli, Santosh Gautam, Paras Thapa, Ramesh Chaudhari, Anupam Poudel, Gyani Khadka, Suresh Rai, Deepak Rai and Satya Narayan Chaudhari. They had been mounting pressure on the FM management to meet their 3-point charter of demands.

They were demanding permanent appointment for employees who have worked for 240 days, equal salary and an apology from Station Manager Sunil Neupane, who had manhandled the FM’s technician, Ramesh Chaudhari, some days ago.

Regmi said the management dismissed the 11 employees after they registered the NWRJA in the Labour Office.