January 26, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 16, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 25: The All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec) has expressed concern over the All Pakistan Newspapers Society’s statement on the working of the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) and said that the tribunal was doing the work assigned to it.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the Apnec leadership described the APNS contention as unconstitutional, illegal and a calculated move to create impediments in the functioning and working of the ITNE.

It said that under the Newspaper Employees Condi-tions of Service Act 1975 and rules framed thereafter, the ITNE was legally bound to take appropriate steps for the implementation of wage board award in letter and spirit.

The statement said that newspaper owners had not been implementing the wage board award for seven and a half years . It added that only because they had challenged the functions and duties of the ITNE and the vires of NECOSA, the newspaper owners could not claim that the institution should not carry out legitimate functions.