Among the 80 terminated employees, 55 had received their wage award from the government just three days before the mass dismissal, with termination letters lacking the official Jang Group logo and issued under the names ‘Total Media Solutions’ and ‘Value Added Services Corporation.’ These firms, reportedly created and staffed by the Jang Group, function as third-party contractors in an apparent effort to breach established labour laws in Pakistan.

The notices to affected employees shown to IFJ cited a “drastic reduction in workload” as the primary reason for the retrenchments, with other justifications including shifting consumer behaviour driven by the rapid growth of electronic and digital media; a sharp reduction in newspaper size; a decline of over 25 per cent in advertising revenue and 23 per cent drop in circulation income; and the adoption of advanced technologies reducing the need for manual labour.

The Jang Group operates multiple newspapers and television channels in Pakistan, employing over 6,000 media workers, and has been facing growing internal challenges, including salary reductions and persistent delays in payments. In 2023, the group was criticised for systematically underpaying workers, creating job insecurity and withholding benefits, sparking serious concern across the industry.

While the Jang Group cites broader structural and financial pressures facing the media industry, its lack of transparency and direct communication with employees has heightened concern among Pakistan’s media community. Despite the conglomerate’s justifications, both federal and provincial governments in Pakistan continue to allocate substantial funding to media houses supportive of their policies and routinely withhold funding to critical outlets. The Jang Group’s subsidiary, Geo TV, remains the largest benefactor of government payments in Pakistan’s media industry.

Media organisations and trade unions across Pakistan expressed serious concern over the unlawful mass termination, with the PFUJ threatening mass protests and stating “media houses receiving billions of rupees in advertisements yet firing employees and delaying salaries is nothing short of exploitation.”

The PFUJ said: “The immediate reversal of the decision to dismiss the employees is necessary to end the growing unrest among media workers. If the decision is not withdrawn, PFUJ will launch a nationwide protest campaign against the Jang Group.”

The IFJ said: “This mass dismissal by Pakistan’s largest media group highlights the increasingly precarious working conditions faced by journalists and media workers in the country. The misuse of third-party contractors to dodge labour laws is a violation of fundamental worker rights, and the Pakistani government is failing to protect employees while continuing to issue substantial advertisement contracts to media corporations. The IFJ calls for the swift reinstatement of the retrenched media workers and immediate action to safeguard the work of journalists across the industry.”