Dears Mr. Per Mikael Jensen, President of Metro International, Mr.
Robert Patterson, Executive Vice President, Mr. Martin Alsander,
Executive Vice President, Mr. Sakari Pitkanen, Global Editor-in-Chief
and Mrs. Birgitta Henriksson, Corporate Communications and Investor
for Relations of Brunswick Group, which owns Metro International,


I would like to bring to your attention that Metro Czech Republic has
been systematically refusing to pay a series of freelancer fees due for articles published at the time I was Editor-in-Chief.

Metro International was Metro Czech Republic's sole owner at the time.

The freelancers in question include Dr. Otakar Patocka, a respected
psychologist who wrote dozens of articles for the New Job section. I
should add that I did not hire him, he was already part of Metro
during the administration of the previous three Editors-in-Chief.

As a well known and regarded professional, he wants to get paid his
(rather small) fees mainly as a matter of principle.

Another case is Oxford student Lawrence Bushell, who came from Britain
to be our Metro World Editor, but has not been paid his last two
salaries. The list includes Pavel Koller, who has also been
subjected to racial slurs (he is from the Roma minority, vulgarly
called Gypsy) when trying to receive his unpaid fees.

I request that you solve the serious breaches of contract with these
and other freelancers whose work have been ordered and published by
the Czech edition of Metro, under my legitimate powers as
Editor-in-Chief and with the consequent approval from the Financial
Department.

Metro cannot follow different ethical standards in Czech Republic than
those practiced in Sweden, the United States or France, for example.

Metro newspapers are media enterprises, which depend on their
credibility. Metro International is a Swedish company, with
headquarters in England, thus expected to follow widely accepted
ethical standards and respect to written and oral contracts made by
their managers and Editors-in-Chief. Metro International cannot apply
other than those standards expected in the civilized societies you are
originally from in other countries where you have enterprises.

The co-owners of Metro Czech Republic will also be warned about this
matter in a separate correspondence I am sending Dr. Karl Hans Arnold,
Mafra's President.

Your prompt reaction will be welcome,

best regards,

Fabiano Golgo

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Vážený pane doktore Arnolde,

Rád bych vás upozornil, že šéfredaktor deníku Metro systematicky informuje bývalé volné spolupracovníky, kteří pracovali pro tento deník, rozdávaný zadarmo, který nyní spoluvlastní Mafra, aby se obrátili na mě, bývalého šéfredaktora, ve věci svých honorářů, které jim nikdy nevyplatila předchozí správa listu.

Při vědomí, že jistě souhlasíte, že není korektní, aby váš zaměstnanec převáděl na bývalého šéfredaktora svou odpovědnost, která patří jemu a finančnímu oddělení podniku, rád bych vás požádal, abyste zasáhl proti tomuto neetickému, arogantnímu a neprofesionálnímu jednání.

Informoval jsem pány Pera Mikaela Jensene, Sakariho Pitkanenena, Roberta Pattersona, Martina Alsandera a Anderse Kornborga z organizace Metro International, i paní Brigittu Henrikssonovou z Brunswick Group o této věci. I je jsem samostatným dopisem požádal, aby zaplatili dosud nevyplacené honoráře volným spolupracovníkům Metra. Osoby, jimž nebyly honoráře vyplaceny, zahrnují psychologa Otakara Patočku a oxfordského odborného asistenta Lawrence Bushella, jejichž příspěvky v Metru vyšly, avšak za něž jejich autoři nikdy neobdrželi honorář.

Děkuji vám za pozornost a za to, že budete bezodkladně jednat.

S pozdravem

Fabiano Golgo


Dear Dr. Arnold,

I would like to bring to your attention that the current Editor-in-Chief of
newspaper Metro has systematically informed former
freelancers who worked for the free daily, now co-owned by Mafra, that
they should ask me -- a former Editor-in-Chief -- for their due fees,
which had never been paid by the previous administration.

Certain that you agree that it is not correct for your employee to
transfer to a former Editor-in-Chief the responsibility that belongs
to him and the Financial Department of that enterprise, I kindly would
like to ask you to act upon this unethical, dismissive and
unprofessional behavior.

I have informed Mr. Per Mikael Jensen, Mr. Sakari Pitkanen, Mr. Robert
Patterson, Mr. Martin Alsander and Mr. Anders Kornborg, from Metro
International, plus Mrs. Brigitta Henriksson, from the Brunswick Group
about this matter, in a separate correspondence, also requesting them
to pay the freelancers in question, which include psychologist Otakar
Patocka and Oxford assistant Professor Lawrence Bushell, whose works
have been published, but never paid for.

Thank you for your attention and prompt reaction,

with regards,

Fabiano Golgo