The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned at the sacking of staff at the Islamabad edition of the Daily Aaj Kal and the lock-out of employees at ROHI TV, which has seen more than 100 journalists and media workers lose their jobs.
The cuts come as the latest shock to Pakistan’s media industry, as a rising number of newspapers, journals and broadcasting organisations have reduced wages, cut jobs or locked out staff in recent times.
More than 600 journalists and other newspaper employees have lost their jobs in the past two and a half years, according to IFJ affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Many have been dismissed without receiving entitlements as required under Pakistan’s labour laws.
The dismissals come as newspaper owners continue to strenuously resist implementing the Seventh Wage Award for newspaper employees, which came into force on July 1, 2000.
“The IFJ calls on Pakistan’s Government to investigate and act immediately on all breaches of labour laws and ensure that journalists who lose their jobs are treated with fairness and compassion,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said
More than two dozen media personnel were sacked from the Islamabad edition of Daily Aaj Kal, published by the Media Times, owned by Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
When the edition was launched in February 2009, Taseer promised the paper would be the voice of moderation and a beacon for those opposing religious extremism, adding that it would be the first truly independent Urdu newspaper in the capital, according to the PFUJ.
The sacked staff said the paper may continue to publish from Lahore, while news reports from Islamabad and Rawalpindi would be collected from local news agencies.
Earlier this month, the Karachi bureau of Aaj Kal cut its staff of more than 50 media personnel to just three journalists. The organisation’s Quetta bureau has also lost six people, according to the PFUJ.
In a separate event, ROHI TV management sacked and locked out more than 90 journalists and other staff, despite the channel’s good performance and assurances from management that their jobs would be permanent and secure, according to the PFUJ.
“The loss of more than 100 media jobs this month alone is a blow to Pakistan’s media community. At the very least, media companies are legally obliged to pay staff fair wages and entitlements,” White said.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide