JournalismPakistan.com | Published February 14, 2019
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KARACHI – Urdu language newspaper Ausaf has sacked nearly 20 employees in Karachi over the past ten days with more terminations likely in the days ahead.
An insider tells JournalismPakistan.com that the management laid off four City Page staffers, as many working at the front desk, three from the IT Section, and about ten page-makers and composers.
A news editor was also among those terminated.
The insider says the staff members were told to sign a paper stating they were leaving of their own will. The management paid the monthly salaries to whoever signed.
The paper’s managers plan to centralize their operations with pages being finalized at the head office in Islamabad.
June 19, 2020: Urdu newspaper Jehan Pakistan has laid off four reporters and seven newsroom staff in Islamabad, shifting to an online-only format. The management has promised to settle all dues, including three months' wages, for the terminated employees.
May 03, 2020: ARY Digital Network announces a three-month salary cut to cope with the financial crisis due to COVID-19, exempting staff earning up to Rs100,000. DawnNews Television also reduces salaries by 10 percent.
May 01, 2020: DawnNews Television cuts staff salaries by 10 percent and halves fuel allowances amid ongoing financial challenges. This marks the third pay cut in a year, highlighting the severe impact on Pakistani journalists facing layoffs and delayed salaries since 2018.
March 05, 2020: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemns the sudden closure of the Daily Asian newspaper, which left 60 journalists jobless. PFUJ urges the government to regulate media licenses to prevent misuse.
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September 26, 2019: Aaj News Television has laid off about a dozen employees from its Lahore and Islamabad offices, including assignment editors, reporters, and camerapersons. The terminations were reportedly abrupt, with no prior notice and no payment for three months' salaries as required by contract.
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