Labour Ministry initiate steps for journalists wage board

New Delhi, July 27 (UNI) The Centre today assured a journalists' delegation that the next wage board for the newspaper industry will be constituted without any further delay.

Minister of State for Labour Chandra Sekhar Sahu told a delegation of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) that he had issued directions today to initiate the proceedings to constitute the board.

"The government is not against constituting wage board for newspaper industry. There is no basis to the reports to the contrary," he clarified.

Mr Sahu said the Wage Board Implementation Committee of the ministry had already visited all the states to review the status of implementation of the Manisana Singh Wage Board, which had submitted its report in 1998.

He said the Second Labour Commission had recommended against constitution of wage boards for any industry. However, the Labour ministry had rejected this recommendation in respect to the Wage Board for the newspaper industry because of it being a statutory obligation.

Dr Ashok Sahu, Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, also participated in the discussion with the KUWJ delegation.

KUWJ President C Gouridasan Nair and General Secretary N Padmanabhan presented a memorandum to the minister, demanding constitution of new wage board, declaration of 25 per cent interim relief, legislation to bring journalists and non-journalists in the electronic media under the ambit of the Working Journalists Act and abolition of contract appointments in newspaper industry.

The KUWJ delegation also met Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and submitted a memorandum. CPI Deputy General Secretary D Raja was also present.

UNI SH YA RS1805