Refocus on reporting labour-related issues, journalists urged

Thupeyo Muleya in Nyanga
THE media should refocus their attention on reporting on labour-related issues as they are central to the country’s economic development strategy, a Government official has said. Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Supa Mandiwanzira said it was also important for the tripartite negotiating forum to engage the media in all their deliberations as they played a critical role in informing the public on such critical matters.

Cde Mandiwanzira made the remarks while addressing media practitioners, among them editors and senior reporters at an International Labour Organisation capacity enhancement project for journalists in Nyanga yesterday.

“We are very much seized with issues of labour in the media sector,” he said. “We have an ongoing programme where we are engaging the media houses with the view of addressing the teething challenges.”

The ministry, he said, has recognised that workers’ welfare, terms and conditions were very critical to make any meaningful progress as a country.

“From what we have been getting so far, the media houses are facing similar operational issues,” said Cde Mandiwanzira.
He called on journalists to apply the knowledge they had acquired at the workshop to do more research and to be thorough when reporting on labour-related issues.

He said the issues of labour and human resources development had a great market as compared to political stories.
Cde Mandiwanzira said now that the elections were over, the media should concentrate on nation building issues.

“A lot of companies are closing down because of various reasons and at the same time we have the responsibility of creating employment as a Government,” he said.

He said the ILO programme came at the most opportune time as there was a new government and a constitution which value labour relations.

He added that his ministry was working with both employers and the workers in the media industry to address the challenges facing the sector.

“As a Government, we are ready to assist the media practitioners in overcoming some of the challenges in the industry and we can only do that if the media examines itself and stop working on individualists.”

ILO country director Mr Alphonse Tabi-Abodo said his organisation will continue working with the Government in promoting productive employment and job creation.

He said they had several economic empowerment programmes that they were running across the country with the view of addressing poverty alleviation and complementing the Government in creating employment.