Protecting Journalists and Media Workers in International Labor Law Framework:A Critical Appraisal of Pakistan’s Compliance and Challenges

Abstract

The media landscape in Pakistan has undergone exponential transformation since the turn of the millennium, witnessing a massive expansion in human resources, particularly following the deregulation of electronic media licensing in 2002. While the number of working journalists and media workers surged from approximately 28,000 in 2002 to an estimated 250,000 by 2018, the legal framework governing their employment remains archaic and fragmented. The primary legislation, the Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Service) Act (NECOSA), 1973, is narrowly tailored only to print media employees, creating a massive regulatory vacuum for workers in the expansive electronic and burgeoning digital/internet-based media sectors. This article critically appraises Pakistan's domestic legal architecture, its compliance with fundamental international Labour related obligations (specifically ILO Conventions 87 and 98), and highlights the systemic shortcomings related to the precarious state of rights for the gig workers, lack of gender inclusivity, and compromised implementation mechanisms. Through a detailed analysis of NECOSA's structural flaws, the judicial interpretation of 'workman,' and a study of comparative regional and international best practices, the article concludes by urging immediate, comprehensive legislative reform to establish a holistic, sector-wide labour protection framework for all media workers, thereby upholding the guarantees of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The continued failure to update this framework institutionalizes labour apartheid in a sector vital to democratic discourse.