- Labour Minister Akash Fundkar assures journalist organisations of action within a month on pending Wage Board references
- Delegation seeks fast-track mechanism following Supreme Court’s August 11, 2026 order protecting proceedings pending before Labour Courts
- BUJ, Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Patrakar Sangh and Mumbai Press Club join hands to press for speedy implementation of apex court directives
- SC makes it clear that pending proceedings will not terminate merely because of judgments of Nagpur and Aurangabad Benches
- Labour Minister and Commissioner agree to expedite collation of claims and move cases forward within one month
NE NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, SEPT 2
For journalists who have waited years for their rightful wages, the Supreme Court’s latest word must not become another file gathering dust. In a significant follow-up to the apex court’s August 11, 2026 order on pending Majithia Wage Board references, Maharashtra Labour Minister Akash Fundkar has assured journalist organisations that his department will move swiftly to implement the Court’s directives and take forward the pending cases within a month.
The assurance came when a joint delegation of the Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ), Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Patrakar Sangh and Mumbai Press Club met Fundkar and Maharashtra Labour Commissioner Dr H. P. Tummod in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The delegation sought the creation of a fast-track mechanism to ensure that the Supreme Court’s latest directions translate into concrete action in the long-pending Majithia Wage Board cases before various Labour Courts.
SC order clears the roadblock
Several Majithia Wage Board references involving journalists have remained pending for years amid a dispute over the interpretation of Section 17(2) of the Working Journalists Act, 1955.
BUJ General Secretary Indra Kumar Jain apprised the Labour Minister and senior Labour Department officials of the Supreme Court’s latest ruling and its implications for the pending proceedings.
The apex court had made its position clear in its August 11 order, stating:
“we direct that the impugned judgments of the Nagpur and Aurangabad Benches of the High Court shall neither bring about a termination of the proceedings referred to the respective Labour Courts by the relevant specified authority or the proceedings which were dealt with by the High Court, nor shall the proceedings which are pending before the Labour Courts terminate by reason of our judgment.”
The direction assumes significance for journalists whose Wage Board references have remained caught in prolonged legal and procedural uncertainty.
‘Employers cannot reopen concluded proceedings’
The Supreme Court also placed an important safeguard on proceedings that have already reached finality.
In the concluding portion of its order, the Court said:
“This judgment shall, however, not permit employers to reopen proceedings already concluded on the basis of references made by the specified authorities in terms of the Notification, if in further proceedings before a higher court the validity of such reference has not been challenged.”
For journalist organisations, the twin directions provide a crucial legal basis for ensuring that pending references continue and that concluded proceedings are not unnecessarily reopened.
The delegation therefore pressed for immediate administrative follow-up so that the benefit of the Supreme Court’s clarification reaches journalists without further procedural delay.
One-month window for action
Following the discussions, both the Labour Minister and the Labour Commissioner agreed to expedite the collation of claims and refer them to the concerned Labour Courts within a month.
The assurance is significant because the dispute has kept several Majithia Wage Board cases pending for years, delaying what journalists and other eligible employees contend are their statutory wage-related entitlements.
The proposed expedited process is expected to bring greater clarity to the status of individual claims and enable the pending references to move forward in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
Journalists unite to demand implementation, not assurances
The Mumbai meeting also demonstrated a coordinated effort by major journalist bodies to ensure that the latest Supreme Court order does not remain confined to the legal record.
The delegation was led by Indra Kumar Jain, and comprised Deepak Bhatuse, Secretary, Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Patrakar Sangh; Surendra Gangan, President, Mumbai Press Club; and Prabhat Sharan, Chairperson, BUJ.
The memorandum submitted to the Labour Minister sought effective and time-bound implementation of the apex court’s directions concerning the pending Majithia Wage Board references.
The message emerging from the meeting was unambiguous: after years of litigation and procedural uncertainty, the next chapter must be implementation.
For journalists awaiting resolution of their Wage Board claims, the one-month assurance from the Maharashtra Labour Department could therefore mark an important opportunity to convert the Supreme Court’s latest judicial clarity into speedy administrative and legal action.
