CAIRO: Al Ahram daily newspaper s decision to terminate the contracts of 65 of their veteran journalists and columnists caused an outcry inside the oldest state-owned newspaper in the country.
Editor-in-chief of the paper Osama Saraya lost the fight against the administration and the legal department to retain his star writers. The legal affairs department was quoted in Al-Masry Al-Youm daily newspaper as saying that the legal retirement age for employees of press institutions is 65, after which they can freelance for any newspapers.
Saraya, however, told The Daily Star Egypt that the newspaper will renew the contracts of 24 of these journalists who are still productive.
But the final decision on that will only be reached after managing editor Salah Al-Ghamri returns from a trip abroad this week.
Last week the newspaper s administration sent notifications letters to journalists informing them that the contract between them and Al Ahram will end in January, and that the institution has no intention of renewing their contracts.
The list included icons of Egypt s cultural and intellectual life: Ibrahim Hegazi, Salah El Din Hafez, Sanaa El Bissi, Mohamed Zaid, Amal Bekir, Mahmoud Mourad and Abdo Mobasher.
Saraya told Al-Ahram journalists during their daily meeting that he didn’t know that the decision was effective immediately and that he will work on rectifying the situation, which was a relief to the beleaguered journalists.
The targeted journalists were both shocked and angered by the manner in which they had been notified, with letters sent to their homes despite the fact that they have offices at the Al Ahram building.
Journalist Ezzat Al Saadani said there must have been a mistake at the human resources department, especially since Al Ghamri was abroad.
Makram Henein, 68, the ex-head of the arts page, expressed his astonishment to The Daily Star Egypt.
He recalls how he joined Al Ahram in 1962 and how his contribution enriched the arts coverage in through 43 years of service.
“I never expected to be so humiliated by such a venerable institution as Al Ahram, he told The Daily Star Egypt.
He added: Creative minds like us should not abide by a retirement age.
He commented on how the standard of arts and culture coverage had dropped ever since the paper started hiring weak illustrators and cartoonists.
What upsets me even more, he continued, is that they have contracted older cartoonists whose work is mediocre compared to ours.
He stressed that if this decision aimed to push new blood into the paper and give young journalists the opportunity to prove their worth, he d be the first to support it.
But, he says, there is no genuine reform trend. This is all about personal conflicts and the bias of the younger generations against the older ones.
Another older journalist Mahmoud Mourad noted that the 1980 Press Law passed during the Sadat era had set the retirement age at 60.
He explained: This law was then amended in 1996 to allow journalists to continue working with a renewable annual contract during which time he can serve in a supervisory or honorary capacity, which he would not be allowed to do once he reaches 65.
He continued that traditionally journalists would retire on paper and to receive their pensions.
As long as they had something to offer, they would continue to renew their yearly contract, he said.
Al Ahram newspaper is the state-owned flagship publication circulating over one million copies daily. Last year it celebrated its 130th anniversary.
