In Artsyzsk, transition of mass media ownership pattern caused conflict and dismissals in communal newspaper

The Responsible Secretary of the communal newspaper “Artsyzki visti” (Artsyzk city, Odesa region) Nadiya Serdiuk declared that local authorities are intervening into the process of transition of the newspaper from state to municipal ownership pattern, and firing the staff members that disagree with the authorities. Serdiuk stated this at press conference on January 27. She received notification of emplyment termination effective since March of 2016, “Kontekst-Prychornomorya” reports.

As Serdiuk explained, on January 6, according to the law of Ukraine of transition of ownership of mass media from governmental to communal, the gathering of the newspaper staff was held to elect the representative of the staff for negotiations with the media outlet's co-founder. Nadiya Serdiuk was elected such representative, yet the newspaper's editor-in-chief Alla Dumbrava was not happy with the decision, and insisted on electing one more representative. On the next day, the head of the local rayon administration Serhiy Parpulanskyi and the chair of the rayon council Yuriy Karabadzhak came to the editorial office, and expressed their unhappiness with the election results - they insisted that the newspaper's representative should be only its editor-in-chief. What followed, according to Serdiuk - two of four actually working employees were fired for making the local authorities unhappy with their voting, and Serdiuk was also notified that she would be fired very soon. She is officially still working, but her keys, her equipment and her working e-mail were already taken away from her. 

Nadiya Serdiuk intends to go to the court with this case to counter the violation of the journalists' rights.