New Delhi: Criticising the newspaper
owners` "anti-worker" policies, an apex body of newspaper
industry employees today warned of a nation-wide agitation if
the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) opposed the recommendations
of the Wage Boards.
"Today, newspaper employees are together and are
capable of strongly opposing the anti-employee policies. We
will go on a nation-wide agitation if necessary," the
Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees`
Organisations said in a statement after holding an emergency
meeting on this issue.
The Confederation, which is an apex body of the
country`s five large federations of newspaper and news agency
employees organisations, asked the government to ignore the
anti-employee suggestions made by INS and immediately notify
the recommendations of the Wage Boards and force the newspaper
owners to implement the same.
The Wage Boards for Working Journalists and Non-
Journalists and other newspaper employees had on December 31
last year submitted their report to the Government,
recommending 2.5 to 3 times hike in basic pay among other
suggestions. The recommendations have been proposed to be
implemented from January 8, 2008.
Confederation General Secretary M S Yadav said: "Media
plays an important role as the fourth pillar of Indian
democracy. Therefore, it is necessary that journalists and
non-journalist employees are financially independent. In this
context, the constitution of Wage Board by the government
plays an important role."
Yadav said that Confederation has always believed that
newspaper owners and their organisation INS runs on a
"principle of exploitation" and it was not surprising that the
INS has challenged the constitution and recommendations of the
Wage Boards.
"INS`s opposition has made it clear that newspaper
owners are against a justified wage structure for their
journalists and non-journalist employees," he said.
The Confederation criticised INS for their opposition
to the Majithia Wage Boards` recommendations after they were
submitted to the government.
Yadav said that INS should remember that it was also
part of the process of finalising the Wage Boards`
recommendations and, therefore, it was bound to agree to the
recommendations.
Today`s meeting was attended by National Union of
Journalists (I) senior leader Dr N K Trikha, Indian
Journalists Union President Suresh Akhouri, All India
Newspaper Employees Federation General Secretary Madan Talwar,
Federation of PTI Employees` Unions leader Ajay Tyagi and UNI
Workers Union President M L Joshi.
PTI
