APNS owners ready to give workers increments, SC told
ISLAMABAD: The counsel for the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Abdul Hafiz Pirzada, Wednesday told the Supreme Court during hearing of the 7th Wage Board Award case that newspaper owners are ready to give annual increments to their employees.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Tariq Pervaiz and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, was hearing the 7th Wage Board Award. The APNS counsel said the government can announce another Wage Board award. He said that personally he is in favour that newspaper employees should be given Wage Award.
The chief justice asked Pirzada to prepare the monthly budget in Rs23,000 in which you have to run your house, pay the children fees and house rent and utilities bills. These are all the basic necessities of life. The CJ said that when a newspaper employee is questioned how he manages to run his house in meagre salary, “his eyes become wet with tears. If a newspaper worker child becomes sick, he has no money for his treatment while in the government hospitals no one pays attention to them,” the CJ remarked.
The chief justice further observed that the Constitution of Pakistan protects the fundamental rights of the journalists, while it was the responsibility of the government to provide basic needs to all the citizens.
Akram Sheikh, counsel for the PFUJ (Dastoor Group) said the Supreme Court was hearing appeals against the Sindh High Court judgment. He said that constitutionality of the Wage Board, factor of bias are the new points, which cannot be raised in the appeals. He pleaded that the 7th Wage Board Award was finally announced in view of the findings of the economic wizards, the economic experts made the decision with the consent of newspapers employers. He completed his arguments. Salman Akram Raja, representing a union of newspaper employees started his arguments and would complete them today (Thursday). The bench wants to dispose of the case soon.
Source: The News
Date:9/29/2011
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