IHC issues notice on petition seeking formation of 9th Wage Board Award
The Islamabad High Court on Monday issued notices to the secretaries of the Information Ministry and the Cabinet Division on a petition seeking the formation of the 9th Wage Board Award for newspaper employees, reported 24NewsHd TV channel.
Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar directed the respondents to submit their replies within two weeks during the hearing of petitions filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association.
Advocate Shahid Khokhar appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioners and argued that the federal government should be directed to immediately constitute the 9th Wage Board Award for employees of newspaper establishments.
The petition stated that the five-year tenure of the 8th Wage Board Award had expired and a new wage board should have been formed from February 1, 2026. It further argued that the formation of a wage board is a legal requirement under Section 9 of the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1973.
The petitioners contended that amid rising inflation it had become increasingly difficult for journalists to survive on the existing wages, adding that the delay in forming the wage board violated journalists’ fundamental rights under the Constitution.
The petitions were filed by PFUJ President Afzal Butt, RIUJ President Asif Bashir Chaudhry, and President of the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association Asadullah Malik.
