CNNAEO welcomes SC verdict on wage board

Hailing the Supreme Court decision on the Majithia wage board for mediapersons, the Confederation of Newspapers and News Agencies Employees Organisations (CNNAEO) today appealed to Indian Newspaper Society (INS) and owners of newspapers to implement the recommendations in totality within the stipulated time and not adopt confrontationist views.
"Now the historic decision of the Supreme Court has come after going into the merits of arguments of newspapers owners as well workers' unions... INS and newspapers should honour the verdict and implement the order in totality within the stipulated timeframe," CNNAEO General Secretary MS Yadav said.
Yadav, accompanied by President of Federation of PTI Employees Unions John Gonsalves and Suresh Akhauri of Indian Journalist Union (IJU), said if the owners go against the apex court's order, the confederation will file contempt of court petition.

The CNNAEO General Secretary said that the confederation comprising representatives of the Federation of PTI Employees Union, UNI Workers Union, leading national bodies -- AINEF, NUJI, IJU and IFWJ -- would soon meet President of INS and request him to ask newspapers to implement the order.
Criticising the reaction of newspaper owners to the judgement, he lamented that it was an anti-workers approach.
Yadav, who is also General Secretary of Federation of PTI Employees Unions, appealed to the Board of Directors of the country's leading news agency to implement the order without any further delay.

He said that if the newspaper owners still try to deprive the benefits of enhanced salary to mediapersons, he and other leaders would tour all the zonal offices and mobilise workers of the industry to launch an agitation.

"From first week of March the confederation leaders will make a trip across the country and hold meetings with plant unions of newspapers and news agencies besides all other trade unions to prepare them for the agitation if the situation so demands," Yadav said.
"It was newspapers owners who had moved the court challenging the wage board notification... Now we will settle for nothing less than the recommendations of the Majithia wage board which have been accepted," he said.