The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has urged the government to initiate proceedings for the eighth wage board, and announce interim relief with immediate effect as journalists and newspaper workers have been a victim of soaring inflation and stagnant wages.
In a statement on Sunday, PFUJ President Rana Azeem and Secretary General Amin Yousuf said that children of newspaper employees were the worst sufferers as they could not pursue their education owing to limited salaries of their parents, but the owners were unmoved over their plight.
The owners in major newspaper establishments have even denied annual increments, higher grades and special increments. Those special increments given by editors in the past as per performance have also been adjusted in the name of implementation of the seventh wage award.
A majority of the journalists, they said, did not even witness an increase of a paisa following implementation of the award in these papers.
The PFUJ leaders stated that it would devise its future line of action if the eighth wage board judge did not initiate proceedings within one month. It said that notices be immediately issued to the owners to attend the wage board meetings, otherwise unilateral decision about interim relief be announced.