Leaders of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to form the 10th wage board immediately for journalists and newspaper employees and workers.
BFUJ president Omar Faruque and secretary general Dip Azad in a statement made the demand Saturday.
They also urged the owners of the newspapers to implement 9th wage board award and pay the dues of journalists and sought government’s intervention to realize the dues amounting about Taka 1,100 crore.
In the statement, leaders of the apex body of the journalists recalled that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked for formation of the 10th wage board in a BFUJ conference on November 2, 2023 in the National Press Club which later was also incorporated in the Election Manifesto-2024 of the Awami League.
But unfortunately the directive of the Prime Minister has not yet been implemented, the leaders lamented.
The leaders said the 9th wage board award was given nearly five years ago. But many media outlets have not executed the award yet.
Urging the government to bring the television journalists under the purview of the wage board, BFUJ leaders said life and livelihood of television journalists are in miserable condition due to irregularities and salary discrimination.
BFUJ leaders said it is true that expansion of visual media has created enormous employment opportunities, but workers in those media are in unbound miseries in lack of any authorized payment structure.
The BFUJ leaders also urged the government and TV owners’ organization ATCO to form a pay structure for television journalists identical to the wage board of newspaper employees.
BFUJ leaders urged the mass media owners to pay Eid bonus and boishakhi allowances before the Eid.
