Is SC's wage board ruling counterproductive?

BY JAGADEESWAR RAO| IN Media Business | 12/12/2014

After the Supreme Court ruling on wage board implementation, publications in Andhra Pradesh are resorting to various manoeuvres to reduce their wage bill,

says JAGADEESWAR RAO (Pix: A union meeting held in AP).

Does forced implementation of the government-prescribed wages become counterproductive?

The recommendations of the Wage Board for Working Journalists, headed by Justice Majithia, might have brought cheer to a large number of journalists, and union leaders might rejoice at the outcome as a victory over 'crony capitalists with wallets', but it has also resulted in many journalists -- specially the sub-editors -- losing their jobs and other journalists having their day-today life disturbed in Andhra Pradesh. This is because of certain moves initiated by the management in the background of Wage Board recommendations which have becom mandatory withthe Supreme Court judgement upholding the recommendations of the Board. The court said,

"All the writ petitions have been dismissed and wages as revised and determined shall be payable from 11/11/2011, when the Government of India notified the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Boards. All the arrears up to March 2014 shall be paid to all the eligible persons in four equal instalments within a period of one year from 7/2/2014 and continue to pay the revised wages from April 2014 onwards."

With the above pronouncement by the Supreme Court on February 7, 2014, the way has been cleared for implementation of Majithia Board recommendations.

The Majithia Wage Board is the sixth one for working journalists and understandably (and to no one’s surprise), there have always been efforts by the management of newspapers to circumvent it, and dub the recommendations as an effort to 'muzzle the media' etc. This time it is in the form of reducing the number of units and locating them in the rural areas, closing desks and transferring the sub-editors to the new rural areas. Saakshi, which is the second-largest circulated Telugu daily in Andhra Pradesh after Eenadu, and which had units in almost all districts in the State, had reduced the number to just three viz Rajanagaram near Rajahmundry in East Godavari district, Renigunta in Chittur district and Mangalagiri in Guntur district for the 13 districts in the newly-carved Andhra Pradesh. According to a senior sub-editor in Saakshi, the number of employees who lost their jobs because of the latest move is more than 100. Sub-editors working in Visakhapatnam were transferred to distant places like Delhi, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, leaving them no option but to quit.

Others, according to this senior sub-editor, were given the option to accept 15 days’ salary for every year of service and quit. Closure of units would result in reducing manpower and the resultant overheads, was the logic behind the move. Printing and news bureaus continue at all units, though.

Eenadu had also initiated steps which affected many journalists, especially sub-editors. After a prolonged legal battle, the Eenadu management was forced to vacate its office in Seethammadhara in Visakhapatnam, where it had launched Eenadu daily as a regional paper back in 1974, to Autonagar a few months back and will soon shift to Kottavalasa, a rural area 35 km from the city. Similarly it had shifted its office from Somajiguda in the heart of Hyderabad city to the Ramoji Film City, popularly known as RFC, located in Hayatnagar mandal (rural).

These steps were taken to reduce the burden of house rent allowance as recommended by the Majithia Wage Board. It may be mentioned here that the Wage Board had classified locations as 'X', 'Y' and 'Z' for the purpose of HRA and recommended HRA at the rate 30 percent, 20 percent, and 10 percent for X, Y, Z category cities respectively. Hyderabad is in the X category and Visakhapatnam in the Y category. All other areas are in the Z category which means the HRA is only ten percent.

“I have to travel a distance of more than 60 km daily to attend to my duty in Eenadu at the RFC. I need to leave home by 3 pm and return by 1-2 am the next day,” said a senior sub-editor of Eenadu stationed at Hyderabad. At present transport is provided by the management but it was only a temporary arrangement, and soon they would have to find their own means of transport,he said. It may be recalled that in the initial stages -- that is 1980s -- the Eenadu management provided transport for journalists attending night duties.But soon the facility was withdrawn.

But thankfully there was no loss of jobs in Eenadu and the staff at the desk was only shuffled to different units. Instead another senior sub-editor at Eenadu said there was actually an increase in his salary even after the recommendations of the Majithia Board.

The Hindu at Visakhapatnam is also in the process of winding up the desk and sending sub-editors manning the desk to Vijayawada, where the new capital of the state is coming up. Some have already been transferred and, according to some, it was a Hobson's choice for the sub-editors at the desk in Visakhapatnam -- to go to Vijayawada or quit.

Interestingly, there were no such moves affecting journalists either in Andhra Jyothy, the third-largest Telugu daily in terms on circulation, or Andhra Bhoomi.

“At present there was no such move in Jyothy, apparently because of financial constraints (shifting of office to rural areas require considerable amount) but it is only temporary and soon we may have to face the same fate,” said a senior reporter in Visakhapatnam.

The situation in Andhra Bhoomi, whose management is in financial crisis, is quite different and contrasts with others. “We were already getting the enhanced salaries and the management promised us to pay arrears by March next,” said a beaming senior reporter of Andhra Bhoomi in Visakhapatnam. “The problems of management would not be allowed to impact the functioning of Deccan Chronicle and Andhra Bhoomi,” the management has reportedly assured all the employees.

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