By Ingrid Bachmann
In the middle of August, the newspaper La Prensa in Nicaragua said it was firing 23 delivery workers, but the Labor Ministry ordered their rehiring, which according to the newspaper — a strong opponent of President Daniel Ortega— is part of a “political persecution” trying to restrict freedoms of press and opinion.
The firings occurred after workers tried to formalize a union associated with the Sandinista Workers Center (CST), explained Notimex. La Prensa Press insists that the former delivery workers were contractors who blocked several distribution routes, and did not qualify as employees of the newspaper, but the Labor Ministry said that the dismissals were illegal.
In a statement, the Inter-American Press Association criticized the government's position, warning that it affects press freedom by taking away the newspaper's independence for safeguarding and guaranteeing its delivery system.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
