- Minister hands over wage board award documents to PFUJ
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the country will collectively commemorate the first ten years of continuation of democratic setup in the month of July.
She said this while addressing a ceremony marking the announcement of 8th Wage Board Award for journalists here at the National Press Club (NPC) on Wednesday.
Marriyum Aurangzeb had on April 9 announced the formation of the 8th Wage Board Award under the Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Services) Act 1973, accepting the long-awaited demands of the journalist community.
In this regard, a ceremony was held at NPC in Islamabad on Wednesday wherein the information minister handed over wage board award documents to Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Ayub Jan Sarhandi.
She said that the country will witness a marked change if all the institutions discharge their responsibilities as per their constitutional mandate.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has always raised voice for the supremacy of the constitution and law. She added that the media industry always stood by the democratic system despite all odds.
She went on to say that the new wage board award has been constituted as per the constitution with the cooperation of the owners of media houses. She added that the wage board award is aimed at addressing the economic woes of the working journalists.
The minister said that her ministry is also considering tabling a bill for the security and safety of journalists in the parliament.
Earlier, the elected representatives of both National Press Club and PFUJ hailed the federal government for issuing a notification for the constitution of the wage board award.
The information minister also thanked journalists for standing with the democracy and said that democracy and journalists were protectors of each other. She added that journalists gave countless sacrifices for the cause of democracy in the country.
The minister also hailed efforts of the PFUJ President Afzal Butt saying that the history would remember him for this success.