Raza Rabbani decries exploitation of media workers

Former Senate chairman and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raza Rabbani on Wednesday lamented the exploitation of media workers in the country by the state and owners of media houses.

He was speaking as the chief guest at an event organised by the Karachi Press Club on the occasion of International Workers’ Day.

He also criticised judiciary stating that when exploited media workers approached courts against injustice, they were given hearings after hearings but no justice was served to them.

Rabbani said the wage boards for media workers were not announced on time and even when they were announced, they were not implemented.

The power of workers had been eliminated under a well-thought-out plan, the former Senate chairman said as he called for strengthening worker unions.

He said the political parties also did not play any role for the revival and stability of trade unions and people had forgotten that their leadership once used to come out from student unions and labour unions.

Karachi Press Club President Saeed Sarbazi, Secretary Shoaib Ahmed, Grand Democratic Alliance General Secretary Dr Safdar Abbasi, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muslim Parvez, veteran journalist Mazhar Abbas, rights activist Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, and representatives of various journalist bodies participated in the programme, including editor of Daily Ausaf Abrar Bakhtiar, Editor of Daily Express Hasan Abbas, Secretary Jang Union Shakeel Yameen Kanga, Dawn Newspaper Union President Muhammad Kashif and The News Newspaper Union General Secretary Dara Zafar.