PFUJ to set up regional secretariats
PFUJ Secretariat
Media release
Islamabad: The executive council of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists here on Tuesday evolved a comprehensive strategy for capacity-building of the media persons, setting up of regional secretariats of the PFUJ at the provincial headquarters duly equipped with present day gadgets and directly linked with its federal secretariat and international media organizations, constitution of the Eighth Wage Board, fellowship for journalists abroad and bringing the electronic media employees under the net of labour laws and the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973.
The FEC, hosted by the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), in its sixth session at Karachi Press Club, with Mr Pervez Shaukat in the chair, passed a number of resolutions asking the government to ensure a conducive environment for media persons, formulating gender policy in media houses, ensure implementation of the terms and conditions agreed by the electronic media owners specifically job protection of the electronic media employees, providing security jackets, life and health insurance, provision for medical facilities, provident fund, gratuity, description of duties, working hours and other facilities available in various labour laws.
The presidents and secretaries of all UJs from all major cities of the country, FEC members and PFUJ secretary-general Shamsul Islam Naz gave a number of suggestions.
The meeting noted with concern that the media houses and electronic channels and news agencies premises have virtually been turned into chambers of torture for their employees owing to exploitation of rampant unemployment prevailing in the country and the capacity of the media channels, as well as print media owners to play with the nerves of the government in power, political parties, industrialists, investors and even intelligentsia, civil society, and even judiciary which affrayed from the mighty wrath of the print and electronic media owners.
The FEC further noted with concern that the government machinery, which is responsible for ensuring implementation of the labour laws, including the functionaries of Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution, Workers Welfare Fund, Labour Department and Employees Social Security Institution, Workers Education Boards and Security Exchange of Pakistan never bother to visit the media houses premises for making inspections pertaining to the implementation of the labour and company laws considering them as no-go areas fearing that if they lawfully discharge their duties, the media owners would bounce back and would start exposing their misdeeds.
In such a backdrop, when print and electronic media owners through underhand deals provide protection to each other, one can imagine how the newspaper employees are being forced to work without their due rights and forego a number of facilities available in various labour laws.
RETRENCHEMENT: The FEC also expressed concern over massive retrenchment in the print and electronic media, especially in Geo, Geo English, DawnNews, Dunya, SAMA, NewsOne, Channel-5, ARY OneWorld, Indus TV, Dharti TV, Daily Aajkal, Daily Al-Sharq, Daily Jinnah etc and contended that those who claim themselves champions of human rights protection and criticized through talk shows, articles, editorials, news stories about the violation of laws and depriving the basic needs were themselves involved in such type of shady business.
The FEC called for reinstatement of all the media employees in print and electronic media with all back benefits and payment of outstanding dues. The FEC also observed that a majority of print and electronic media owners were not paying salaries and other benefits on regular basis and in some organizations media persons were not paid their monthly wage for the last three to four months.
The FEC also demanded of the government to set up a media academy on the pattern of PTV, PBC, civil servants and judicial academies for capacity building of media persons as per present-day requirements.
The FEC also demanded formulation of a gender policy in the print and electronic media houses for ensuring a conducive working environment for female journalists as well to save them from workplace harassment.
The FEC also decided to mobilize media workers for creating awareness among them to take part in the struggle for acquiring their legitimate rights and also decided to establish contact and coordination with the civil society, bar councils, bar associations, members of the parliament, for exposing the true faces of the media owners before the public at large.
PRESS COUNCIL: The FEC also decided to move the federal government to take appropriate steps for providing equal representation to the media persons in the Press Council Of Pakistan Ordinance 2002 as has been given to the APNS and CPNE (the media owners organizations).
The FEC regretted that the Supreme Court of Pakistan and respective high courts took a number of cases for adjudication on its extraordinary powers of taking suo moto notice but took no notice to the hue and cry of the media persons who are moving from pillar to post to seek justice, viz-a-viz implementation of the 7thWage Award. Not only this the hierarchy of judiciary which claims that it had formulated a comprehensive judicial policy for providing speedy justice to the people and disposing of old cases within three months deadline but the media persons are disturbed why the case of the 7th wage award is pending in the courts for the last nine years and still lingering on and could not catch the sharp eye of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The FEC through another demand urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to bring the labour courts, labour appellate tribunals, and Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees, National Industrial Relations Commission, Authority appointed under the Payment of Wages Act under the thumb of judiciary on the pattern of banking, drug, customs, anti-corruption and consumer courts and Central Laws Courts.
The FEC also demanded of the federal and provincial government for the establishment of a labour appellate tribunal at the headquarters level and contended that as per present labour laws, the working class is facing innumerable difficulties for seeking redressal of their grievances as only one labour Appellate Tribunal was working at the provincial capital levels.
The FEC also demanded of the federal government for formal constitution of the eighth wage board and pointed out that it was due in 2005 while the ninth wage board award decision should have been announced, yet the media employees are forced to draw their wages fixed as per price formula on 1996 which was not even judiciously adjudicated as per actual price hike of 1996.
The FEC pointed out that in fact the wage board announced its decisions for evolving a minimum level of the wage structure and never take into consideration the actual prevalent price hike which should be adjusted for true and factual basic pay structure as per escalation of daily use items and other parameters for deciding the real basic salary rates. The PFUJ also demanded of the government to do away with the contract system,
Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.pfuj.pk
http://www.shamsulislamnaz.com
No comments:
Post a Comment