NA panel for ensuring payment of minimum wages in media houses

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Tuesday directed all the media houses to pay the minimum salary of Rs37,500 to their employees and shun third party contracts system.

The sub-committee, which met here with its convener Syed Aminul Haque in the chair, discussed the current status of payment of salaries and outstanding dues and suggest measures for ensuring protection of rights of the media workers.

After deliberations and listening to the stake-holders, the four-member forum directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Pemra to ensure that all media houses pay 37,500 minimum salary fixed by the government to their employees.

The sub-committee also directed the authorities concerned to stop advertisements of media houses in case of defiance, and take immediate steps to eliminate the system of third-party contracts in media houses and also take measures to increase the number of Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) to five as soon as possible.

On this occasion, the convener directed that steps be taken in accordance with the policy for complaints regarding dummy newspapers and payment of PBA dues.

Secretary Information and Broadcasting Ms. Ambreen Jan, Chairman Pemra Muhammad Saleem Baig, Chairman ITNE Shahid Mehmood Khokhar and Principal Information Officer Mubashir Hasan briefed the committee on the status of redressal of grievances and payment of salaries to journalists and media workers.

The sub-committee was given a briefing by the various representatives of journalist bodies including NPC, PFUJ, RIUJ, PRA etc. about non-payment of timely salaries, absence of job security, and lack of fringe benefits to journalists.

The meeting was attended by secretary information and broadcasting, chairman Pemra, DG (IP) Ashique Hussain, Chairman Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) Shahid Mehmood Khokhar, members of the committee, Members of the Assembly, Ms. Sehar Kamran, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Moazzam Ali Khan. Representatives of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) GM Jamali, Afzal Butt, Nasir Zaidi, All Pakistan Newspapers and Electronic Media Employees Confederation’s Mohammad Siddique Anzar, National Press Club’s Azhar Jatoi, Parliament Reporters Association’s Usman Khan, Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists’ Shakeel Khan, Pakistan Broadcasters Association’s Basit Riaz Sheikh, APNS and CPNE were also part of deliberations.