‘Announce 8th wage board by March 10’

Expressing discontent over delay despite the prime minister's directive, journalists and media employees yesterday demanded announcement of the eighth wage board by March 10.
The new wage board was supposed to be announced by the first week of February according to a press release issued by the information ministry, they said.
The government has already appointed the chairman of the eighth wage board, yet the gazette was not published in time, they said.
In a statement, Sangbadik-Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SSKOP) said the information minister had breached pledges made to journalists, media employees, and press workers.
The parishad will launch protest programme unitedly demanding resignation of the information minister and formation of the eighth wage board if further delay happens, it said.
Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad told journalist leaders about the February deadline when a delegation of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) called on him at his office on January 22.
The statement was signed by co-conveners of the parishad Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Ruhul Amin Gazi, Alamgir Hossain Khan, member secretary Matiur Rahman Talukder, joint member secretary Abdul Jalil Bhuyian, Shawkat Mahmud, and members Md Khairul Islam, Md Kamal Uddin, Omar Faruk, Abdus Shahid, Shaban Mahmud, and Md Baker Hossain.