Press Pay Push: DRU Demands Uniform Wage Board
The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) has called for increasing the weekly leave for journalists to two days and establishing a uniform wage board for newspapers, online media, television, radio, and multimedia platforms. The organization has also demanded the swift implementation of the ninth wage board and the formation of the tenth wage board.
In a statement signed on 24 August by DRU President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel, the leaders said, “Many organizations are not paying proper salaries. Journalists have no standardized pay structure. Although the implementation of the wage board has been discussed for a long time, little progress has been made. Meanwhile, the rising cost of living due to inflation is increasing daily. Therefore, the current government must take effective steps to implement the ninth wage board and form the tenth wage board. At the same time, there should be a uniform wage board for newspapers, online media, television, radio, and multimedia platforms.”
They added, “A journalist leaves home at 8 a.m. and returns at 11 p.m. In many organizations, it is said that journalists have no eight-hour duty. Journalists work all day. Do labor laws not apply to journalists? Then why are they being overworked like this?”
Government employees enjoy two days off per week, and many private organizations have a similar arrangement. Journalists, however, have no fixed working hours or scheduled weekly leave. This lack of rest increases both physical and mental stress, prompting the leaders to demand a two-day weekly holiday for journalists.
The statement also highlighted that journalists can be dismissed at will, effectively making arbitrary termination a norm. “No journalist should be terminated without a valid reason and without providing all benefits according to the wage board,” the statement emphasized.
It further noted that, from 1 July, government officers and employees received a 10 percent effective salary increase, combining the standard 5 percent annual increment with an additional 5 percent raise. Special allowances, particularly for lower and middle grades, increased from 1,000 BDT to 1,500 BDT, and for pensioners, from 500 BDT to 750 BDT.
Additionally, the government has issued a notification forming a 23-member National Pay Commission 2025, headed by former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, to oversee the salary increase for government employees.
“Meanwhile, the implementation of the ninth wage board and formation of the tenth wage board for journalists has been pending for a long time. We demand the prompt initiation of these two wage boards,” the DRU leaders concluded.
