Cumhuriyet newspaper to reinstate 8 dismissed employees

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Having fired eight employees by citing economic reasons, Cumhuriyet newspaper has announced that the journalists that it dismissed on November 29, 2021 will be reinstated in their jobs. 

In a written statement, the newspaper has announced that "the decision to cancel the labor contracts of eight employees has been halted."

"Our friends can continue their works at our newspaper. Establishing labor peace is the most important issue," the statement of the newspaper has read, briefly adding, "Following this decision, unnecessary statements, articles about the issue, messages and implications, rumors and meetings that will disturb the labor peace must be brought to an end."

"Our employees focusing on their own work is a definite precondition," it has said: "It needs to be known that moves that will disturb the internal peace at Cumhuriyet newspaper will definitely not be conceded."

Sports columnist appointed as acting chief editor

On the other side, sports columnist Arif Kızılyalın has been appointed as the acting Editor-in-Chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper.

The appointment of Kızılyalın came shortly after Aykut Küçükkaya, the dismissed Editor-in-Chief of the daily, resigned and Serkan Ozan did not accept being appointed as the acting Editor-in-Chief in his place.

After eight employees, all members of the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS), were dismissed from Cumhuriyet, with "financial problems" cited as the reason, Aykut Küçükkaya was removed from office as the editor-in-chief for expressing support for the dismissed employees.

He resigned from Cumhuriyet shortly afterwards.

With the recent appointments, İklim Öngel is now the managing editor and Hakan Akarsu is the person in charge, according to the impressum.

What happened?

By citing financial problems, on November 29, Cumhuriyet newspaper dismissed photojournalist Vedat Arık, copy editing department head Rüya Özalkan, sunday supplement editor Hilal Köse, sports department head Sami Gürel, reporter Tuğba Özer, managing editor Olcay Büyüktaş, reporter Ece Piroğlu and one other employee from the archive department.

All dismissed employees were union members.

Two months ago, on October 1, women's news editor Kübra Köklü, Esra Alus from the economy department and Altan Yağcı, İlker Güneş Doğan and Dilek Kılıç from cumhuriyet.com.tr were dismissed.

Amid these dismissals, the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) made a statement and requested the reinstatement of the journalists. A day later, a protest was held in front of the central office of Cumhuriyet in İstanbul. Editor-in-Chief Aykut Küçükkaya joined the protest as well. He indicated that the journalists had been dismissed without his knowledge. Küçükkaya said that he was on the side of the journalists.

Cumhuriyet newspaper removed Editor-in-Chief Aykut Küçükkaya from office shortly after he protested together with the dismissed employees.

Appointing Küçükkaya as the chief editorial adviser, Cumhuriyet appointed editorial coordinator Serkan Ozan as the acting Editor-in-Chief. However, Ozan announced that he did not accept the position and Küçükkaya announced that he resigned from the newspaper. (HA/SD)