Journalists and employees of media have staged demonstrations protesting the writ filed by the Newspaper Owners’ Association Bangladesh (Noab) seeking delay in the declaration of the ninth wage board.
They have also demanded immediate announcement of the ninth wage board, and enactment of the media employee law.
Sangbadik-Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SSKOP), a platform of journalists, workers and employees, arranged the demonstration in front of the National Press Club on Sunday.
Molla Jalal, president of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), presided over the demonstration, said: “There is no way out except the movement for journalists to achieve their rights.”
He also added that journalists have to start long term movement against Noab, as Noab always worked against the journalist communities.
Dhaka Union of Journalists’ Sohel Haider Chowdhury claimed that Noab members have stabbed journalists from behind.
He said: “Noab members are now lying about their presence in meetings of the ninth wage board. They were present at the meetings, and agreed with the terms.”
He also said that “We want ninth wage’s board gazette within this month and Monday’s verdict will come on behalf of journalists.”
He hoped that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will declare the gazette using her executive power.
After the demonstration, journalists handed over a memorandum to information minister Hasan Mahmud at the secretariat.
After the meeting, the journalists brought out a procession from Press Club which ended in front of the secretariat gate. During the procession, they chanted slogans asking for fulfilling their demands.
They chanted that ‘Ar Kono Dabi Nai, wage board er gazette chai’, ‘Ar kono dabi nai, gono maddham kormi ain chai’.
Among others, Motiur Rahman Talukder, president of Bangladesh Newspaper Employees Federation (BNEF), Alamgir Hossain Khan, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Newspaper Press Workers (BFUNPW), and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), spoke at the program.
They also submitted a 14-point demand to the authorities concerned in this regard.
Their demands include an immediate implementation of the ninth wage board, enactment of media employee laws in an upcoming parliamentary session, declaration of a separate wage board for television journalists, employees, and others.
Earlier, on August 6, the High Court issued a status quo for two months on the publication of the gazette notification of the ninth wage board.
Following the court order on Tuesday, the government cannot publish the gazette notification for implementing the recommendations of the ninth wage board set for journalists.
The vacation bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order, following a writ petition filed by the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (Noab) challenging the legality of the ninth wage board.
