KARACHI, Oct 11: The APNS has rejected the 7th Wage Board Award and expressed its profound disappointment and distress at the crippling wage increase announced for newspapers’ employees by the Chairman of 7th Wage Board.

In a Press release issued here on Thursday, APNS Secretary-General Kazi Asad Abid stated that an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee held under the chairmanship of acting President of APNS Zia Shahid, had expressed that the wage increase announced by the Chairman, Wage Board, would cost the newspaper industry an additional burden, whereas the newspapers industry was already facing a major financial and resource crunch.

“Even the major newspaper groups will not be able to bear the enormous wage increase, whereas the rest will have no option but to transgress the Award or retrench a considerable number of employees to survive their publications,” the Press release said.

“The Chairman, 7th Wage Board, while announcing the arbitrary award, has completely disregarded the facts on record and the arguments put forth by the employers’ representatives in their responses to the employees memoranda for interim relief and final award,” the Press release said, adding that the APNS had already publicly expressed its profound concern with regard to the manner in which the proceedings of the Wage Board were conducted and therefore, boycotted the proceedings. However, the Press release said, on the assurances, given by Mr Omar Asghar Khan, Federal Minister for Labour and Local Government, the APNS had decided to participate in the concluding meetings.

“The APNS regrets that the assurances were grossly flouted and a devastating wage increase was announced,” it said.

It further said that APNS member publications were in no position to implement the wage increase announced by the Chairman, 7th Wage Board, and would seek all options at their disposal to get a judicious and affordable wage award.

It said the APNS meeting had decided to form a committee under its President Mr Hameed Haroon, consisting of Zia Shahid, Kazi Asad Abid, Pir Sufaid Shah Hamdard, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Arif Nizami, Arshad A. Zubairi, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Shami, Syed Fasih Iqbal, Mushtaq Qureshi, Muhammad Aslam Kazi and Dr Jabbar Khattak to decide further action in this regard.

The Executive Committee was apprised of the opinions of Arif Nizami, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Shami, Syed Fasih Iqbal and Mustafa Sadiq who could not attend the meeting, the Press release said.