FEJU wears black badges to press for salary arrears

Journalist staff at the Financial Express Monday began an indefinite black badge campaign to press home their demand for early settlement of salary arrears and payment of all outstanding dues including full service benefits to former staff, says a press release.

The campaign, which includes wearing of black badges by journalists during office hours and hoisting of black flags, is part of an agitation programme drawn up by the Financial Express Journalists Union (FEJU).

The black badge campaign begins a day after the FEJU issued a notice of industrial dispute under Sec 26 of the Industrial Relations Ordinance 1969 to the Managing Director of the FE's parent company the International Publications Ltd.

The Managing Director of IPL is also Chief Editor of the Financial Express.

The notice refers to the FEJU's nine-point charter of demands and calls on the management of the Financial Express to immediately settle all arrears and other dues owed to the staff.

The demands placed by the FEJU are i) Immediate payment of arrears accruing to staff in relation to implementation of the Fifth Wage Board, (ii) Wage Board for all journalist staff, (iii) Full service benefits including gratuity, counting the service length from the date of joining the organisation, (iv) Night allowance for all staff members working beyond midnight, (v) Timely payment of overtime money, (vi) Immediate payment of annual anniversary bonus, which has been due since November 1997, (vii) Addition of extra increment that has been wrongfully denied, (viii) Recreation leave, (ix) Sehri allowance for all staff, irrespective of religious affiliations.