Dhaka – The Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) expressed concerns over the news reports about the formation of the ninth wage board to newspapers and said such declaration before five years is not acceptable.NOAB expressed its concern about the ninth wage board at its annual meeting held on December 10, a press release said yesterday.
“The NOAB meeting discussed about the formation of the ninth wage board following some news reports. A proposal of the meeting said that the eighth wage board has been implemented three years ago on September 2013. It requires an analysis how much logical it is to declare the 9th wage board. The new wage board has never been declared in the past before five years,” the release said.
It also said, “Annual increment is given every year for adjustment of inflation. So the formation of ninth wage board before at least five years is not acceptable.”
NOAB has taken a position that there should have a supervision and assessment how much award of the eighth wage board has been implemented because many newspaper houses have not implemented the seventh wage board award.
It also said that the past experiences say that there are some unsettled matters including the structure of the newspapers. Though these matters had been discussed in the past but no solution came out, it added.
It is imperative to address the unsettled issues through discussion before the declaration of the new wage board.
NOAB also said that the newspaper industry is facing a big crisis. There is a huge investment in the online media and on the other hand there are problems including tax, vat, etc.
The press release said NOAB is always in favour of forming effective wage board through discussion and with an interval of five years.
It is not supportable to form a new wage board for the journalists under any logic in the present situation, it added.
NOAB president Matiur Rahman, its vice-president AK Azad, executive members Tasmima Hossain, Reazuddin Ahmad, Mahfuz Anam, SM Shahidullah Khan Badal, Tarique Sujat, AMM Bahauddin, Altamas Kabir, Naem Nizam, Kazi Anis Ahmed, Dewan Hanif Mahmud, M. Shamsur Rahman, AHM Moazzem Hossain and Mozammel Haque were present on the occasion. – Staff Reporter
