APNS rejects wage award’s linkage with ads
KARACHI – The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has rejected linkage of Wage Board Award implementation with the government advertisements.
The APNS spokesman was reacting to Sheikh Rashid’s statement after the cabinet committee meeting regarding non-payment of some journalists’ salaries. He also rejected any change in the composition of six-member cabinet committee headed by Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz over this issue. Earlier, a sub-committee, headed by Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz, was formed to discuss and implement the wage board award.
This decision was made on July 17 after meetings of Special Cabinet Committee, established by the federal cabinet, with members of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) and representatives of journalist organisations.
Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mehmood and senior officials of the Information Ministry were also present on the occasion.
The meeting, presided by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, was attended by Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq, and Minister for Petroleum Nouraiz Shakoor. Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said he had been appointed as head of cabinet committee but he had requested Shaukat Aziz to further lead it.
The committee held three-hour meeting with newspapers’ owners and discussed various aspects about the implementation of wage board award. After the meeting with newspapers’ owners, the committee held meetings with journalist organizations and considered their point of view.
After detailed meetings with both parties, Sheikh Rashid said that consensus to form a sub-committee had been reached which would discuss the 7th Wage Board Award. The sub-committee would include the federal minister for information and broadcasting, secretary information, two members of newspapers’ owners and two members each from journalist organisations.
The other meeting will be called after the nomination of members from the journalist organisations and newspapers’ owners, the minister added. “The sub-committee will submit its recommendations to the federal cabinet after discussion on the issue,” he said.
Some representatives of journalists have brought to the notice of the Cabinet Committee on Wage Board Award the issue of non-payment of salaries by some newspapers. The committee directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to intervene with the owners of such newspapers for payment of arrears of salaries and regular payment of current salaries. In event of falter of payment, to do so the committee directed the ministry to deduct the payment from the advertisement dues for payment of salaries to unpaid.
Source: The News
Date:7/18/2004
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