Journalist leaders said a separate law for wages can lessen the complexity in fixing salaries of media personnel.
They said this at a seminar, “Professional and Social Security of Labourers and Wage: Implementation, Challenges and Way forward,” at the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) arranged the seminar.
Former media affairs adviser to the prime minister, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, was the chief guest.
He said: “A journalist has two major things to focus on; one is to uphold his dignity through honouring his works and to contribute to protecting democracy through that work.
“Bangabadhu understood the honour of journalists, and for that he passed a separate law, keeping a separate wage board for us which was free from diplomatic complexity,” he added.
“But the BNP-Jamaat led government during their tenure in 2006, set the wages of journalists under the Labour law and turned us professionals into labourers,” he said, adding that this decision had led to complexity.
“I have already said we have to enact a law, amending the 1974 law in line with a modern perspective which will lessen the complexity,” added Iqbal, also editor of the Daily Observer.
He also said the steps to passing a law have already been initiated. “What we all need is to ensure that it preserves the interests of journalists.”
BILS chairman and Labour and Manpower Affairs Secretary, Habibur Rahman Siraj, said he will talk to the information minister about the matter and would try his best to implement the ninth wage board as soon as possible.
At the program, Yusuf Al Mamun, BILS deputy secretary (Information), and Ataur Rahman, general secretary of Bangladesh Labour Rights Journalists Forum (BLRJF), gave a presentation, where it said that all told, in 2018, journalists took to the streets 42 times with various movements for their rights.
Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan, MP, member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Labour and Employment, also member of the wage board, was present at the program.
Internal feud among journalists affecting rightful wages
General Secretary of National Press Club, Farida Yasmin, said: “We must unite to implement a wage board and the rights of journalists in terms of job security.
“But instead, we are divided into several groups, arguments are taking place among us, and opportunists are taking advantage to suppress us journalists.”
M Abdullah, secretary general of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) said, several issues need to be addressed.
He urged all to be united and said: “If needed, I am ready to leave my post in the union for the interests of journalists and media in the country. “
Iqbal, also the chairman of DBC News channel, said: “Professional journalists in 1980, once forced the chiefs of the two major political parties to sit in dialogue, and now we cannot protect our own interests.”
The greed for personal gain and shameful lobbying of political parties by journalists cannot help to preserve the interests of journalists.
