1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the 2
[Working Journalists and other
Newspaper Employees] (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955.
(2) It extends to the whole of India 3***.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
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[(a) “Board” means—
(i) in relation to working journalists, the Wage Board constituted under section 9; and
(ii) in relation to non-journalist newspaper employees, the Wage Board constituted under
section 13C;]
(b) “newspaper” means any printed periodical work containing public news or comments on
public news and includes such other class of printed periodical work as may, from time to time, be
notified in this behalf by the Central Government in the Official Gazette;
(c) “newspaper employee” means any working journalist, and includes any other person
employed to do any work in, or in relation to, any newspaper establishment;
(d) “newspaper establishment” means an establishment under the control of any person or body or
persons, whether incorporated or not, for the production or publication of one or more newspapers or
for conducting any news agency or syndicate;
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[and includes newspaper establishments specified as one establishment under the Schedule.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—
(a) different departments, branches and centres of newspaper establishments shall be treated
as parts thereof;
(b) a printing press shall be deemed to be a newspaper establishment if the principal business
thereof is to print newspaper;]
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[dd) “non-journalist newspaper employee” means a person employed to do any work in, or in
relation to, any newspaper establishment, but does not include any such person who—
(i) is a working journalist, or
(ii) is employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity, or
1. Extended to Goa, Daman and Diu by Reg. 11 of 1963, s. 3 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 1-2-1965) and to Pondicherry by Act 26 of
1968, s. 3 and the Schedule.
2. Subs. by Act 60 of 1974, s. 2, for “Working Journalists”
3. The words “except the State of Jammu and Kashmir” omitted by Act 51 of 1970, s. 2 and the Schedule.
4. Subs. by Act 60 of 1974, s. 3, for clause (a).
5. Ins. by Act 31 of 1989, s. 2 (retrospectively).
6. Ins. by Act 60 of 1974, s. 3.
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(iii) being employed in a supervisory capacity, performs, either by the nature of the duties
attached to his office or by reason of the powers vested in him, functions mainly of a managerial
nature;]
(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
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[(ee) “Tribunal” means,—
(i) in relation to working journalists, the Tribunal constituted under section 13AA; and
(ii) in relation to non-journalist newspaper employees, the Tribunal constituted under section
13DD;]
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[(eee) “wages” means all remuneration capable of being expressed in terms of money, which
would, if the terms of employment, expressed or implied, were fulfilled, be payable to a newspaper
employee in respect of his employment or of work done in such employment, and includes—
(i) such allowances (including dearness allowance) as the newspaper employee is for the time
being entitled to;
(ii) the value of any house accommodation, or of supply of light, water, medical attendance or
other amenity or of any service or of any concessional supply of food-grains or other articles;
(iii) any travelling concession,
but does not include—
(a) any bonus;
(b) any contribution paid or payable by the employer to any pension fund or provident fund or for
the benefit of the newspaper employee under any law for the time being in force;
(c) any gratuity payable on the termination of his service.
Explanation.—In this clause, the term “wages” shall also include new allowances, if any, of any
description fixed from time to time.]
(f) “working journalist” means a person whose principal avocation is that of a journalist and
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[who is employed as such, either whole-time or part-time, in, or in relation to, one or more
newspaper establishments], and includes an editor, a leader-writer, news-editor, sub-editor, featurewriter, copy-tester, reporter, correspondent, cartoonist, news photographer and proof-reader, but does
not include any such person who—
(i) is employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity, or
(ii) being employed in a supervisory capacity, performs, either by the nature of the duties
attached to his office or by reason of the powers vested in him, functions mainly of a managerial
nature;
(g) all words and expressions used but not defined in this Act and defined in the Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947 (14 of 1947) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Act.