ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (Apnec) decided on Thursday to postpone their plan to hold a protest demonstration outside the Parliament House on Friday after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz assured their representatives that the government would take all possible steps to resolve the issue of the 7th Wage Board Award and a judge of the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) would be appointed in a few days.

The prime minister gave the assurance during a meeting with a delegation of representatives of the PFUJ and Apnec here on Thursday.

According to a press release, the prime minister said the government wanted to resolve the matter with mutual understanding of both parties. Mr Aziz said that he would meet newspapers’ workers and owners to resolve the matter as early as possible.

He also said that PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain would be asked to present his report on the issue soon after his return to the country.

The PFUJ and Apnec representatives appealed to the prime minister to constitute the Eight Wage Board Award.

They appealed to the government not to amend the Newspapers Employees Services Condition Act 1973.