KARACHI, June 23: Expressing anguish over a statement of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, the KUJ’s Dawn Unit has termed it not only “derogatory but also against the welfare of journalists and newspaper workers”.

A meeting of the Karachi Union of Journalists, held on Monday, called upon the government to come to their rescue by enforcing the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1973, and discourage moves to get the law struck off the statute book.

The award had been notified in the gazette and was now a law, the Karachi Union of Journalists contended in a press release.

The meeting recalled that the four provincial assemblies, Senate and the National Assembly had passed resolutions calling for the implementation of the Seventh Wage Award.

It also sought the government’s support in constitution of the Eighth Wage Board as it had now become “impossible for journalists and newspaper employees to make both ends meet” because of frozen salaries and runaway prices. The meeting was chaired by KUJ President Khurshid Tanweer.