Media urged to play role for labourers’ rights | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Media urged to play role for labourers’ rights

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a consultative workshop on Tuesday urged media persons to highlight problems of labour class for redressal of their grievances and ensuring their basic rights.

Addressing a workshop on “Covering Media’s Attention Towards Labours Issues” they said recently passed lath amendment has increased responsibility of media to keep an eye on law making process.

They said that transfer of power to the provinces had further increased problems, as there were no prescribed rules for trade union function in 18th Amendment.

The workshop was jointly organised by Journalist for Democracy and Human Rights (JDHR) and Praxis Pakistan supported by the Solidarity Centre. Speaking on the occasion Shafqat Munir, President JDHR, said that media and trade unions are essential part of democratic culture He added there is a need that media and trade unions should bridge gap between them to ensure flow of information on labour issues.

He asked the media to highlight labour issues taking experts opinion from labour leadership. Chaudhary Talib Nawaz President Pakistan Workers Federation addressing the participants said that formation of trade union is right of every worker working with an organisation for protection of their rights.

He informed that PWF is biggest organisation of the country, which has aImost 9,00,000 members. He said the civil society is the key power bringing prosperity and it is responsibility of media to work for protection of their rights.

Osama Tariq, Regional General Secretary PWF, said the civil society is mobilised by media and the forth pillar of state is responsible to raise voices of this deprived segments. Qamoos Gui Khattak, Secretary General Muttahida Labour Federation MLF), Shoukat Ali, Secretary General All Pakistan Trade Union Congress (APTUC) and others also spoke on the occasion.
Source: The Nation
Date:6/30/2010