Cabinet to consider Wage Boards' recommendations tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet will consider tomorrow the recommendations of the Wage Boards which has proposed upto three-time hike in basic pay of journalists and non-journalists in print media and fixing the retirement age at 65.

Sources said the Labour and Employment Ministry has moved the Cabinet note in this regard which will be taken up by the Cabinet meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The note is understood to have suggested that the Cabinet may take a view which would be subject to the final orders of the Supreme Court which is hearing a writ petition challenging the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Boards, the sources said.

The recommendations of the Wage Boards for Working Journalists, Non-Journalists and other newspaper employees, submitted to the government on December 31 last year, has been hanging fire for the past 10 months as some media organisations have challenged these.

The Supreme Court on September 21 had given the go-ahead to the government to examine and consider the award of the Wage Boards and pass appropriate orders thereupon.

The Law Ministry, whose view was earlier sought by the Labour Ministry, had said "there appears to be no legal or constitutional objection if approval of the Cabinet is solicited for the proposal ... as the same relates to the matter of policy with which we may concur".

Agrieved employees of newspapers and news agencies had on October 14 staged nation-wide protest against the Centre's "failure" to notify the recommendations for revision of their salaries.