Implementation of Majithia Wage Board recommendations reviewed

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi :  Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya held a meeting with the representatives of the state governments here on July 21, 2017, to review the status of implementation of the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board.

The Central Government constitutes wage boards for working journalists and non-journalists newspaper employees, as and when required, as per the provisions contained in   section 9 and section 13C respectively of the Working Journalists Act, 1955. The last such Wage Boards, Viz. the Majithia Wage Boards, were constituted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on May 24, 2007. The Board submitted the recommendations to the Government on December31, 2010.

Ministry of Labour and Employment notified the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Boards, under section 12 of the said Act, on November 11, 2011, subject to the outcome of the WP (C) No. 246 of 2011. The Supreme Court, in its judgment dated February 7, 2014, upheld the Majithia Wage Boards recommendations. As the said order was not complied by some newspaper establishments, contempt petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, according to a PIB release.

The Supreme Court, in its judgement dated July 19, 2017, held that the Majithia Wage Board Award has to be implemented in full. As per the said Act, the implementation of the recommendations of the Wage Boards lies with the state governments, according to the PIB release.

During the meeting, the State Governments/UT Administrations were impressed upon to implement the Wage Board Awards in letter and spirit. Discussions were also held to bring the journalists of electronic & digital media under the ambit of the Working Journalists Act, 1955. State Governments were requested to tender their considered opinion in this regard. As the last Wage Board was constituted in 2007, the issue regarding constitution of a new Wage Board was also discussed at the meeting, according to the PIB release.