Newspaper organizations bound to pay interim relief
ISLAMABAD- The chairman of the Seventh Wage Board Award for Newspapers Employees, Justice Raja Afrasiab Khan, said all newspaper organizations were bound to pay an interim relief announced by him on December 18,2000.
He passed this order during proceedings of the Wage Award Committee, held at the committee room of the Labor Ministry.
The proceedings were attended besides others by President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) I.H. Rashed, Chairman All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC) Abdul Hameed Chhapra and Secretary General Pervaiz Shaukat.
The newspaper owners are boycotting the proceedings.
During Monday’s proceedings, the representatives of journalists and newspapers employees informed the honorable judge that the owners were refusing to give interim relief to the employees, which was announced by him in December.
The Judge observed that the newspapers and news agencies were bound to give interim relief to the employees under sections 15 and 16 of the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973.
Section 15 of the said Act says: “Decision of the Board to be binding on all employers: The decision of the Board shall be binding on all employers in relation to newspaper establishments and every newspaper employee shall be entitled to get paid wages at a rate which shall, in no case, be less than the rate of wages fixed by the Board”.
Section 16 of the Act says: “Powers of Board to fix interim rates of wages: (I) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, where the Board is of the opinion that it is necessary so to do, it may, by notification in the official gazette, fix interim rates of wages in respect of newspaper employees. (2) Any interim rate of wages, so fixed, shall be binding on all employers in relation to newspaper establishments and every newspaper employee shall be entitled to get paid wages at a rate which shall, in no case, be less than the interim rates of wages fixed under sub-section (1). (3) Any interim. Rate of wages fixed under subsection (1) shall remain in force until the decision of the Board comes into operation under sub-section (2) of Section 11.”
The judge observed that if any newspaper establishment has any complaint against the decision of the Board, it could approach the Implementation Tribunal for the Newspaper Employees under Section 12-A of the Act.
The employees representatives asked him to initiate contempt proceedings against the newspaper owners under Section 16-A of the Act for their refusal to give the interim relief.
Under Section 16-A the Board has the same power “to punish the respective contempt as the Commission has under Section 22-C of the Ordinance”.
The Board also chalked out a schedule for holding its meetings in various newspaper centers of the country to record the statements of the employers and the employees.
According to the schedule, the Board will hold its meeting in Karachi on July 16 and 17: Hyderabad, July 19 and 20, Quetta, August 12 and 13; Lahore, August 27 and 28; Faisalabad, August 30; Peshawar, Sept 13 and 14; Multan, Sept 27 and Islamabad on Oct 9 and 10.
The board chairman directed the employers and the employees to provide names of their witnesses, who they might wish to produce for recording their statements, well in advance so that these people could be sent notices in writing.
He also observed that he would appreciate if employers should end their boycott, but made it clear that proceedings would go ahead if any side failed to attend.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/3/2001
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
