Scribes demand interim relief, to vesort to agitation

Kozhikode, Sep 6 (UNI) Journalist and non-journalist organisations in Kerala have decided to launch an agitation against the ''prolonged delay'' in announcing interim relief for newspaper employees in the country.

The decision was taken at a Joint Action Committee meeting of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and Kerala Newspaper Employees' Federation (KNEF) held at Thiruvananthapuram recently, KUWJ General Secretary N Padmanabhan said in a release here today.

About 5,000 fax messages pressing for the demand would be sent to the Prime Minister and Ministers for Finance, Labour and Railways from all district headquarters in the State on September nine as the first phase of the stir, he said.

If the government failed to take a favourable decision on the issue soon, the Committee would go ahead with next phase of the agitational programmes, he said.

Though the Justice Narayana Kurup Wage Board for journalists and non-journalists had recommended a 30 per cent IR, no action was taken by the government on the issue despite repeated reminders, he alleged.

UNI PCH SJ AKJ AS1645