Peshawar scribes protest sackings

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 25 May 2012 |  Kamran Yousafzai

Journalists in Peshawar staged a protest against staff retrenchments by television channels and other media houses. The Khyber Union of Journalists warned channels they would not be allowed to cover events live at the Peshawar Press Club unless laid-off workers are reinstated. A resolution also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice and ensure implementation of the Wage Board Award.

Summary

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Union of Journalists Friday warned television channels that have retrenched staff it would not allow them to cover events live at the Peshawar Press Club if employees laid off were not reinstated. The journalists, led by union President Arshad Aziz Malik, General Secretary Ali Hazrat Bachaa and Central Secretary All-Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC), Nadir Khawaja, had gathered to protest massive sackings of staff by media houses. The protest rally was held on the directives of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Similar protests were also held in other cities including Islamabad. Later, a resolution condemning job cuts in television channels and newspapers and delay in payment of staff salaries was presented by Zulfiqar Chitrali. The resolution called upon the media houses to refrain from ‘unlawful’ retrenchments. It urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the layoffs and direct the employers to implement the Wage Board Award in their respective organizations.