Staff Correspondent

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury has said the government will take necessary initiatives to implement the wage board in the interest of journalists, and the issue will be raised in the Cabinet, if necessary.

“There had been a kind of deadlock over the wage board for a long time. The 9th Wage Board Award was not properly implemented. Alongside journalists’ demands regarding the 10th  Wage Board formation and the issue of implementing the 9th Wage Board Award has also come up for discussion. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is holding discussions with the Ministry of Labour and other concerned parties in this regard, and the initiative will be strengthened further,” he said.

The State Minister said this at a views-exchange meeting with leaders of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at the meeting room of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting here on Sunday.

Yasser said it is essential to ensure the protection and welfare of journalists. Journalists play an important role in providing accurate information to the people, he said, adding if proper facilities are not ensured for them, good journalists will lose interest in their work and good new journalists will not emerge, he added.

He said media owners must also be sincere about the rights and welfare of journalists. Even if the government makes an announcement, the desired benefits will not be achieved unless the concerned institutions implement it, he added.

Referring to the need to define journalists, he said genuine professional journalists who have been engaged in journalism for a long time are facing threats because of fake journalists. At the same time, the common people and democracy are also being harmed, he opined. 

Regarding the Cyber Security Act, the State Minister said the law is not being formulated to control the media or stop journalists from writing. Its main objective is to keep people safe, he said, adding that  Cyber security is needed to address incidents of harassment through fake accounts on social media and the spreading of false and misleading information that puts people at risk.

He said the government believes in media freedom and freedom of expression. The government will not interfere in how the media operates, rather it is working to ensure an environment where journalists can work freely, he said.

He urged journalists to submit their demands in writing, saying that receiving written proposals would make it easier for the government to implement those and take subsequent steps. 

He also stressed the importance of continuing such exchanges of views with journalists’ organisations.

Speaking at the meeting, DUJ President Md Shahidul Islam said journalists work round the clock to bring news of the country before the people. They often perform their duties at the risk of their lives, yet they are deprived of fair remuneration, he added. 

He urged the government to take initiatives to implement the Wage Board.

The DUJ president said the proliferation of fake journalists and their various organisations had increased. They are tarnishing the noble profession of journalism, he said, adding that using fake identity cards identifying themselves as journalists through various organisations under different names, they are committing various crimes. 

He said the DUJ and other mainstream journalists’ organisations want to cooperate with the government in controlling fake journalists.

DUJ General Secretary Khurshid Alam said content creators should not identify themselves as journalists. 

DUJ Joint General Secretary Md Didarul Alam Didar said the law clearly states that media workers are entitled to two gratuities. The entitlement to two gratuities had been established in the media up to the Eighth Wage Board, he said, adding that at the same time, as journalism is a distinct and risky profession, there is a judgment of the Appellate Division that tax payable on the income of media workers should be considered a fringe benefit. 

However, he said, as the matter was not properly known, a controversial recommendation regarding gratuity and tax was incorporated in 2019, making it impossible for many media outlets to implement it.

Referring to a writ petition filed by the BSS Employees Union in the High Court in this regard, he said the High Court had declared the Cabinet decision unacceptable and, based on recommendations by several ministers at the time, declared the committee’s decision illegal or cancelled it. 

He said the matter is currently pending before the Appellate Division and demanded withdrawal of the government’s appeal.

He also said withdrawing the appeal would resolve the long-standing complications regarding gratuity and tax for media workers.

He demanded immediate announcement of the Tenth Wage Board.

DUJ Vice-President Rashedul Haque, Office Secretary Iqbal Majumder Touhid, Welfare Secretary Salahuddin Razzak, Publicity Secretary Abul Kalam, Sports and Cultural Secretary Rafiq Liton, Executive Member Mohammad Gazi Anwar, Talukdar AHM Nurul Momen, among others, spoke at the meeting.

Senior Vice-President Rafiq Mohammad, Executive Members M. Mosharraf Hossain, Abdullah Majumder, Fakhrul Islam and others were present.

The meeting discussed in detail various issues, including the professional dignity and welfare of journalists, implementation of the Wage Board, definition of journalists, cybersecurity and media freedom.