9th wage board award within June: Quader

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DHAKA, May 30, 2019 (BSS) – Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said that the ninth wage board award for journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies will be announced within June.

“The government will hold a meeting with the concerned stakeholders on June 12 for implementation of the ninth wage board award for journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies,” he told reporters at the secretariat after a meeting of the cabinet committee formed to review the ninth wage board award.

Quader, also convener of the cabinet committee, said the issue of the ninth wage board award for journalists was stalled for a long and that’s why the government decided to hold a meeting with the concerned stakeholders before its announcement.

He said the meeting will be held at the conference room of the information ministry at 11 am on June 12.

“We will take final decision on the ninth wage board award at the meeting after consultation with the stakeholders. We will announce the award within the current fiscal,” he said.

Quader said that the long-pending wage board award could have resolved much earlier if he had not fallen sick.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, State Minister of Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, State Minister for Information Ministry Md Murad Hasan, State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian and high official concerned were present at the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) held a demonstration in front of Jatiya Press Club to press home their 14-point demand, including the gazette notification of the ninth wage board award and enactment of a mass media law.

BFUJ President Mollah Jalal, Secretary General Shaban Mahmood and other journalist leaders spoke on the occasion.