PFUJ, APNEC for Wage Award implementation
PESHAWAR – A three-day joint meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of the Pakistan Federal, Union of Journalists, (PFUJ) and the National Executive Council (NEC) of the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) here demanded of the government the implementation of the Seventh Wage Award in newspaper organizations.
The meeting expressed concern over the continuing delay despite the Supreme Court decision in favour of the newspaper employees and the government’s decision to get it implemented. The meeting considered the implementation of the Seventh Wage Award a settled issue and urged the newly appointed Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to implement the award in letter and spirit. The meeting also called for the implementation of regional branches of the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) for effective implementation of Wage Award in the national and vernacular press the bodies has also appreciated resolutions passed by the National assembly and all the four provincial, assemblies and thanked all the political parties who had adopted resolutions for the early resolution of newspaper employees demands.
The meeting stressed the need for constitution of Eight Wage Board Award, because the next Award is due after ten months in June 2005. The meeting observed that the next wage Award should be for a period of three years instead of five-year term.
The meeting reminded to the government to make appointment of labour inspectors enshrined in the Newspaper Employees (Service and Condition) Act 1973, which should monitor the working conditions of newspaper employees and journalists at printing and newspaper offices. The meeting also demanded to the newspaper owners to issue appointment letters to their employees across the country and to regularize the services of all the contractual employees. The meeting expressed concern over the increasing trend of corruption among the journalists and said there have been instances came to the knowledge of the union that senior government functionaries, have started giving money to the reporters for covering of events.
Both the bodies reminded their members of the PFUJ’s code of ethics particularly the clause he or she do nothing that discredit himself or herself or their union and organization. The meeting said the journalists should be more careful while reporting on events like rape and violence against women. The journalists were asked not to identify women victims while, reporting cases of rape or assault on women.
The PFUJ and the APNEC also directed all its affiliated unions to strictly implement its code of ethics and take action against the journalists involved in corruption. The meeting demanded of the government to abolish “Black Law” like Defamation Act, Blasphemy Law, Official Secret Act and Press Council. It condemned the Defamation Law firstly as Pakistan Penal Code already covers relevant, ground and secondly because past records of successive governments prove the misuse of these laws against the press. The meetings also condemned the decision of ‘ newspaper owners to suppress news of journalist’s unions and issuing directives to editors not publish unless clear by them.
Source: The News
Date:8/31/2004
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