The Union government has approved 30 per cent interim relief to journalists and non-journalists employees of the newspaper industry. The decision was taken Friday at a Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Cabinet has approved 30 per cent interim relief to the journalists and non-journalists employees of newspaper industry under the Wage Boards," Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Dasmunshi told reporters here, according to Press Trust of India (PTI).
The wageboard for journalists and non-journalists recommended 30 per cent interim relief on June 28. The arrears would be given from January 2008, he said.
"There has been a tradition to increase the amount of interim relief by the government over and above the recommendation of the Wage Board but it was not done this time," said leaders of the Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees' Organisations, the apex body of federations in newspaper industry, PTI reported.
Criticising the decision, confederation general secretary MS Yadav said, "Journalists across the country had pinned their hopes on the government and believed that it would provide at least 40 per cent relief to them but nothing of this sort happened. We are now left with no other option but to go in for agitation." He said confederation leaders would meet the Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and others with their demand to review the matter.
