ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday expressed strong concern over non-payment of salaries and sudden dismissal of media employees by some media houses.

The Committee directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Newspaper Employees Enforcement Tribunal (ITNE) to ensure that media workers in both the electronic and print sectors receive the salaries they are entitled to and employers fulfill their contractual obligations.

obligations.

In response to the issue, the committee formed a sub-committee led by Syed Aminul Haque (MNA) to assess the current status of salary payments and outstanding dues to media workers and suggest measures to secure workers’ rights.

The meeting, chaired by MNA’s Pullain Baloch, was held at PEMRA Headquarters to discuss payment of salaries to media workers, issues related to PTV and PEMRA and unresolved liabilities of Shalimar Recording and Broadcast Company (SRBC).

During the meeting, the committee reiterated its commitment to ensure that media workers receive their salaries and all pending dues on time and lauded PEMRA and ITNE for their continued efforts to resolve these issues.

The committee also recommended the implementation of stricter regulations by amending relevant Acts of Parliament to strengthen workers’ rights.

Chairman and General Manager (Operations) of PEMRA briefed the committee about the performance of the institution since its inception and its regulatory role. They emphasized that following the amendments to the PEMRA Act, the mandate of PEMRA has been expanded to include monitoring of timely salary payments to electronic media employees in 2023. The Director General also explained the organizational structure and composition of the PEMRA Board and Complaints Council, detailing the authority’s efforts to increase its regulatory reach, especially in small towns and rural areas.

The committee also recommended establishing a Code of Conduct for TV series and advertisements and ensuring that they are in line with social and religious values. PEMRA has been directed to strengthen its regulatory framework with regard to content distribution on cable networks, especially in rural areas.

On PTV, the committee demanded a breakdown of salaries of all PTV anchors and panelists and recommended the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to develop an initial plan for a dedicated educational channel.

Expressing concern about the SRBC’s ongoing financial struggles, the committee discussed the non-payment of employees’ salaries, pensions and EOBI contributions due to persistent losses.

The committee suggested that SRBC should either be merged with PTV or privatized and asked the ministry to ensure that SRBC employees receive their outstanding salaries.

Parliamentary Minister for Information and Broadcasting Daniyal Chaudhry along with MNAs Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, Saad Waseem, Kiran Imran Dar, Asia Naz Tanoli, Sehar Kamran, Syed Aminul Haque, Muhammad Moazzam Ali Khan and Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri attended the meeting. as well as other key officials from PEMRA and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024