"I hope that justice is done and that what is enshrined in law prevails. The parties did not reach an understanding, or one of the parties did not understand the terms on which the issue was raised, he appealed, it is his right", said this Tuesday Stésia Costa, lawyer of the New Media, in statements to Lusa.
The legal representative of the private media group says she is "available" to provide clarification to those in law, "applying the rules and what was the motivation [of the group] for such an act".
New media journalists who have had their contracts suspended have filed a lawsuit against the group alleging "illegal dismissal" in a period of covid-19, with the first compulsory conciliation hearing in court scheduled for Thursday.
In an interview with Lusa today, the secretary general of the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA), Teixeira Cândido, said that the action against the Media Nova stems from the "lack of extrajudicial understanding" with the group which, in a period of emergency, dismissed 30 employees.
For the JSA, the group that owns Jornal O País, Rádio Mais, TV Zimbo and Gráfica Distribuidora, "violated the provisions of the state of emergency", which took place between 27 March and 25 May due to covid-19, which "prohibited dismissals and suspension of labour contracts".
According to Stésia Costa, the "lack of understanding" of the terms under which the suspension of labour contracts took place is the result of the "lack of legal culture".
"[Sometimes] we want to make what is only our understanding prevail," she commented.
The lawyer explained that the process of suspension of contracts began before the declaration of the state of emergency and that the business group "observed the formalities imposed by law".
"So there is a principle in law that says that a new law does not repeal previous acts, that is, a new law does not suspend the effects of ongoing proceedings under a previous law," she argued.
The suspension of contracts, and not termination, he said, was requested as provided for in the General Labour Law through a communication to the labour inspectorate "well before the declaration of the state of emergency".
Stésia Costa acknowledged that the suspension of contracts took place from 15 May, but insisted that the process "began much earlier", arguing that the decree on the state of emergency "did not suspend the processes that were already underway".
"But we are comfortable, there was no such understanding, and we are going to court for justice," he said.
The New Media's causidica also said that the JSA "does not have legal personality to bring an action on behalf of another person", admitting a petition for the "annulment of the process" if it finds in court that the process was brought by the union.
The legal-labour relationship, he added, "only allows two parties".
The economic situation, prior to the appearance of covid-19, and the restructuring of the company have led to the suspension of contracts in the Média Nova Group.
After the first compulsory conciliation hearing, scheduled by the Luanda Court for Thursday 16 July, a second hearing is scheduled for 14 August.
In April, journalists, mainly from private bodies, expressed their confidence that the "critical situation" of the sector, aggravated by covid-19, with "difficulties to pay salaries", would be overcome, after meeting with the Minister of Media under the indication of the President.
