Angry over the delay in notification of Majithia wageboard’s recommendations, mediapersons from across the country today decided to organise a protest in front of the Labour ministry here on March 24.
A decision in this regard was taken at an emergency meeting of the Confederation of Newpapers and News Agencies Employees Organisations (CNNAEO) here.
“Journalists and non-journalists employees of all newspapers and news agencies will hold a massive demonstration a day after the martyr day of Saheed Bhagat Singh,” CNNAEO General Secretary M S Yadav said.
“We demand the government to immediately notify the Majithia wageboard’s recommendations as scribes are facing hardship in view of exorbitant price rise,” Mr. Yadav said.
He said if the government did not awake to the scribes’ problem, mediapersons will be forced to take up the issue with voters of the five States going to the polls next month.
“Though the report was submitted timely on December 31, the government is yet to notify it apparently under pressure from some media houses,” Mr. Yadav said.
Thousands of agitators will assemble at the UNI office on March 24 and proceed towards the Labour ministry. In addition to the national capital, protest dharnas will be organised in other States also on the same day.
Members of Parliament from Congress and other parties have raised questions in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha against the unnecessary delay in implementation of wageboard’s recommendations for newspapers and news agencies journalists and non-journalists.
Besides Mr. Yadav, Santosh Kumar, Madan Talwar and Roopchand of AINEF, IJU’s Suresh Akhauri, Madan Singh, K B Pandit and S N Sinha, IFWJ’s Parmanand Pandey, NUJI’s Rajendra Prabhu, M D Gangwar, DUJ’s S K Pande, UNI’s M L Joshi and PTI’s Sanjay Sinha and Ajay Tyagi attended the meeting.
Our Special Correspondent adds:
Meanwhile, on the cabinet approval for the recommendations of the wage boards for the journalists and other employees of the news papers/news agencies, headed by Justice G.R. Majithia, the Labour Secretary Mr. Chathurvedi said the finance and corporate affairs ministries had replied to the cabinet note circulated by the labour ministry in this regard. “We have to receive comments from the Information and Broadcasting and Law and Justice ministries.”
Mr. Chathurvedi hoped that the comments might be received in the next two, three days and a clear picture on the cabinet approval for the wage boards was expected by March end. However he refused to give details of the finance and corporate affairs ministries feed back on the recommendations.
