IFWJ Asks for Tripartite ‘Technical Committee’ as Envisaged in the ‘Code of Wages’ for Revising the Wages of Journalists

Indian Federation of Working Journalist (IFWJ) has demanded to the Government of India that the 'Technical Committee' as envisaged by the Code on Wages must be tripartite to have the representatives from among the journalist organisations. It has, however, welcomed to the proposal of setting up of the Technical Committee, which will replace the constitution of Wage Boards, at the interval of every five years to revise the wages and allowances of the working journalists.

In a statement, the IFWJ President BV Mallikarjunaih and Secretary-General Parmanand Pandey have said that journalists should be treated as ‘knowledge workers’ as no other profession is comparable to their job. Therefore, in no case, their hours of work should be more than 144 in a month. It is on the persistent demand of the IFWJ, that the Government has decided to expand the definition of a working journalist from the print medium to all other media including those of the electronic and other portals.

IFWJ has also demanded/ suggested that no journalist should be appointed on contract for less than five years, although it will be desirable to completely prohibit the contractual appointment of journalists. The payment of gratuity in relation to journalists should be changed in conformity to the Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, which may entitle them to claim the benefits after five years of service. At present, as per the Working Journalists Act, it is ten years, while it is five years for the other employees. Although a journalist can claim gratuity after three years if he/she resigns on the ground of conscience, which is well-nigh impossible to prove. That vis the reason that if a journalist leaves the job even after three and a half years, he/she loses the benefit of the gratuity and therefore this anomaly must go.