BUSAN: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil wants media organisations that are owing salary arrears to their respective staff to immediately settle the payment.

He described the act of not paying the salaries of media practitioners for several months as totally unacceptable.

“I feel this is not appropriate, media organisations are obliged to settle salary arrears of their workers,“ he said when met here today.

Fahmi is currently on a three-day working visit to South Korea from Sept 30.

He said, he is also willing to act as an intermediary on behalf of media practitioners and their respective employers, to find the best solution to the issue.

Earlier, the National Union Journalists of Malaysia (NUJM) and Gerakan Media Merdeka (GERAMM) urged the employers who represent The Malaysian Insight and The Vibes media practitioners to immediately settle the salary arrears that have not been paid for several months.

They said, the matter is clearly a form of oppression and thus reflects the weakness of management on the part of the employers themselves.