सरकार पत्रकारों व गैरपत्रकारों के लिए मजीठिया वेजबोर्ड की सिफरिशें अगली सुनवाई से पहले लागू करे -सुप्रीम कोर्ट

  केंद्र सरकार पत्रकारों व गैरपत्रकारों के लिए मजीठिया वेजबोर्ड की सिफरिशों को लागू करने की अधिसूचना जारी करने के लिए स्वतंत्र है। यही बात सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पिछली सुनवाई में भी कही थी मगर कुछ संगठनों व अखबार संस्थानों के दबाव में सरकार अब तक अधिसूचना नहीं जारी की है। अब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने आज उसी मामले की सुनवाई करते हुए कहा कि अगली सुनवाई सात दिसंबर को होने के पहले केंद्रीय कैबिनेट पहले अधिसूचना जारी करे तभी आगे विवादित मुद्दों पर सुनवाई होगी। अखबार प्रबंधन ने वेजबोर्ड की वैधता पर भी सवाल उठाया है। कोर्ट का कहना है कि सरकार पहले इसे लागू करे इसके बाद विवादित मुद्दों पर कोर्ट सुनवाई करेगा। प्रबंधन की आपत्तियों पर कोर्ट ने सरकार से भी अपना पक्ष पेश करने को कहा है।
  मालूम हो कि कुछ अखबार प्रबंधनों ने केंद्रीय श्रम सचिव को चिट्ठी लिखकर यह अपील की थी कि सरकार कोर्ट का फैसला आने से पहले वेतनमान लागू करने पर कोई फैसला न ले। सुनवाई कर रहे दो जजों दलबार भंडारी व दीपक मिश्र की सुप्रीम कोर्ट की पीठ ने अखबार मालिकों के इस रवैए को गंभीरता से लिया और अनुचित बताते हुए अखबार मालिकों के वकील फाली नरीमन व केके वेणुगोपाल को पत्र को फौरन वापस लेने का आदेश दिया। इस पत्र की तरफ कोर्ट का ध्यान अतिरिक्त सालिसिटर जनरल पराग त्रिपाठी ने दिलाया था।
 अभी कल ही अखबार संगठनों ने अधिसूचना जारी होने में देरी के विरोध में १४ अक्तूबर को पूरे देश में धरना देने का एलान किया। जबकि आज ही केरल के पत्रकारों ने कोच्चि में जुलूस निकाला और नारे लगाए।
 ( विस्तार के लिए पीटीआई की पूरी खबर देखें)।
SC-WAGEBOARD
Cabinet free to act on scribes' wage board recommendations: SC
New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI) The Supreme Court today yet again
refused to restrain the Union Cabinet from taking any decision
on the Majithia Wage Board's recommendations for journalists
and non-journalists, turning down pleas by various media to do
so.
"Propriety demands that when the matter is before the
Union Cabinet, we should not pass any order. However, any
decision taken by the Union Cabinet will be subject to the
final orders passed by this court," a bench of justices
Dalveer Bhandari and Dipak Misra said.
The bench made the observation following repeated pleas
of various newspaper managements to restrain the Union Cabinet
from taking any decision on the wage board recommendations on
the ground that the matter is pending before the apex court.
The bench took serious note of newspaper managements
writing a controversial letter to the Union Labour Secretary
asking him not to take any decision on the recommendations
till the matter was decided by the apex court.
Additional Solicitor General Parag Tripathi had drawn the
attention of the bench about the letter.
"It is very, very unfair on your part to write such a
letter," said the bench, prompting senior counsel Fali Nariman
and K K Venugopal for newspaper managements to immediately
withdraw the letter.
While recording in its order, the managements' act of
withdrawing its letter to the labour secretary, the bench
asked the Union government to file its counter affidavit on
the batch of petitions by the managements challenging the Wage
Board recommendations.
The court was hearing a bunch of petitions by various
newspaper managements and media houses including Anand Bazar
Patrika Pvt Ltd (ABP), Bennett Coleman Co.Ltd and news agency
United News of India (UNI), which had challenged the Majithia
Wage Board's recommendations. (MORE) PTI AAC RB AKI RAX
VMN
10111638

SC-WAGEBOARD 2 LAST (RPT)
(Rpting with correction in second last para)
The court said any decision by the Cabinet will be
subject to its scrutiny on the validity and other aspects.
"We have not held the (the Working Journalist and Other
Newspapers Employees) Act as ultra vires. So where is the
question of restraining the government. If you have any
objections on the provisions, you can challenge it. May be,
some of the recommendations could also be in your favour, so
let us wait," the bench said when it was contended that the
Wage Board itself was constituted in an illegal manner.
The counsel submitted that though the Act envisaged
constituting the Board with independent members, the
government had handpicked its own people thus not providing
any level-playing field to the managements.
They contended that the composition of Board members was
loaded in favour of the employees.
"Government has manipulated the whole process to make the
newspaper managements subservient to it," Venugopal told the
bench, adding "it is not Wage Board in the eyes of the law."
The bench said these issues can be taken up by the
petitioners after the Cabinet takes a decision. It posted the
matter for further hearing on December 7 rpt 7.
The court earlier on September 21 too had refused to stop
the Cabinet from taking any decision on the wage board's
recommendations. PTI AAC RB AKI RAX VMN
DEP
10111732

WAGEBOARD-KERALA(MES2)
KUWJ-KNEF workers picket BSNL exchange
Kochi, Oct 11 (PTI) Hundreds of activists belonging to the
Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and Kerala
Newspaper Employees Federation (KNEF) took out a march and
picketted the BSNL telephone exchange here today demanding
early notification of Justice Majithia Wageboard
recommendations for journalists and non-journalists.
Holding banners in support of their demand, the activists
raised slogans condemning the delay in the issuing of the
notification by the central government.
The picketing was inaugurated by media critic and former
MP Sebastian Paul.
Police arrested few activists and removed them.
Today's picketing was part of the second day's 'blockade'
agitation by KUWJ and KNEF. Yesterday, the picketing was held
before the income tax office at Kozhikode.
The two unions are organising a three-day agitation at
Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram demanding early
implementation of the recommendations of Justice G R Majithia
wageboard for Journalists and Non-Journalists of Newspaper and
News Agencies. PTI UD ARP
BS
10111245