IMPHAL, May 24: In order to adopt the Majithia Wage Board, the guidelines of the directive of the Supreme Court should be followed as well as the Tripartite Committee should be formed as soon as possible, proclaimed the Union Minister of Labour, Employment and Training, Bandaru Dattatreye.
According to a release of the All Manipur Working Journalists`™ Union (AMWJU), the statement of Bandaru Dattatreye was made during the closing of the 8th Plenary Session of Indian Journalists Union (IJU) held at the convention centre of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar hosted by Odisha Journalists`™ Union.
The closing programme was attended by National President of IJU, SN Sinha, Treasurer, Sabina Indrajit, Secretary General, D. Amar, Odisha Journalist Union President, Prabhat Dash, Odisha MLAs, Saroj Samal and Captain Dibyasanker Mishra, President of kalinga Nagar Shramik Sangha, Suresh Haibru, ETV Odia Editor, Nilambar Rat and various other dignitaries, it said.
In his speech, SN Sinha said that during the two days session, the journalists placed the issues faced by them such as to provide benefit of the Wage Board to the journalists of India, security of the journalists, to regularise paid news, to adopt the wage board and Employment Provident Fund to the Minister. He further said that he will try to approach the government of all states to form the tripartite committee as soon as possible and to adopt the wage board, it said.
He added that a meeting has been arranged with representatives of media houses at centre tripartite committee, Delhi on wage board issue and the current journalist act will be amended. The tripartite committee should be formed at all states of India as soon as possible. The act will also be modified to make it more comprehensive in order to provide benefits for the working journalists of the electronic media.
On the other hand, the members for the next three year session of the IJU, two Vice-Presidents, six National Secretaries and 15 members of NEC were elected. Vice-President of AMWJU, Ratan Luwangcha became the first journalist from Manipur to have also been elected as National Secretary.
Altogether five representatives from the North East have elected. Geetarha Pathak of Journalists`™ Union of Assam has been elected as one of the VP, and representative from each of Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam were elected as NEC members. It was also announced that Sorensangbam Sonia Devi of Poknapham has also been elected as member of National Gender Cell team, it said.
Valedictory Function of the 8th Plenary Session was also held with former Chief Minister of Nagaland and current Governor of Odisha, SC Jamirna as chief guest. The function was also attended by Urban Development Minister of Odisha, Pushpendra Singh, Deo, MLA of Bhubaneshwar (North), Priyadarshini Mishra as well as important members and dignitaries of IJU. The Governor applauded the efforts taken up by of the media and also promised to take up issues on the benefit of the journalist to the Odisha government, it said.