KARACHI, May 14: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the All-Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation have called upon the government to withdraw the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2002 , which they said was against the fundamental rights of the citizens, and decided to resist it with the cooperation of other trade unions.

A meeting here of the federal executive councils of the PFUJ and Apnec urged all political parties of the country to reject IRO-2002, and demanded that the government should introduce pro-labour policies, says a press release.

The joint meeting took note of the fact that while newspaper employees' wages were frozen at the 2000 level, the country was faced with inflation and high prices. It demanded immediate implementation of the 7th Wage Award and called upon the government to constitute the 8th Wage Board, which should be for three years instead of five years.

The meeting expressed deep concern over the deteriorating working conditions in regional newspapers, particularly Sindhi newspapers, and urged the government to send labour inspectors to seek enforcement of labour laws. The meeting expressed concern over the non-payment of salaries for the past several months to hundreds of workers in different newspapers in Peshawar and Islamabad.

The meeting condemned in unequivocal terms the occupation of Iraq by the US and the unprecedented and savage treatment of Iraqi prisoners.

The meeting expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemned the state terrorism of Israel.