8th Wage Board for journos, staff formed
The government yesterday constituted the 8th Wage Board for journalists, employees and workers of newspapers and news agencies.
The 13-member body to suggest enhanced wages and benefits is headed by a former Supreme Court judge and will submit its report to the government in the next six months.
According to an official handout, Justice Kazi Ebadul Haque, who is also a former chairman of the Bangladesh Press Council, would chair the board while six representatives of the newspaper owners and six from the journalists and employees were named as its members.
The six owner representatives are: Publisher and Editor of the Daily Star Mahfuz Anam, Editor of Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman, Editor of the daily Azadi MA Malek, Managing Director and Chief Editor of BSS Ihsanul Karim, UNB's Chief Editor Enayetullah Khan, Chief Editor of the daily Manabjamin Matiur Rahman Chowdhury.
The representatives of the journalists and employees are: presidents of the two Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Ruhul Amin Gazi, President of Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Karmachari Federation M Motiur Rahman Talukdar, Secretary General of the federation M Khairul Islam, and President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Newspaper Press Workers M Alamgir Hossain Khan and Secretary General Mohammad Kamaluddin.
Information ministry Deputy Secretary Nazmul Hossain Khan has been made the secretary of the wage board.
The handout said the board would review the general cost of living, the existing salary and wage structures at government offices, corporations and private organisations alongside the financial state and ability of the newspaper industry in suggesting enhanced wages and benefits for the newsmen and their colleagues in the industry.
It said the board also could make a specific proposal for the government to declare a dearness allowance for the interim period ahead of announcement of the wage board award.
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