No need to form wage board: Muhith

Special Correspondent: Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said journalists earn more than civil servants and therefore there is no need to form wage board for them.

The minister made the remark at a meeting with the representatives of Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh or NOAB at the finance ministry on Tuesday.

Muhith said, "A wage board for journalists is unnecessary, totally unnecessary. Because their salary scales are better than government salary scales."

A journalist then told Muhith that public servants receive pension after retirement. He said he used to get paid Tk 8,000 when he entered the profession with a master's degree.

"We have peons who hold master's degree. You have five pay scale grades," replied Muhith.

The government would not intervene in this (media) sector over forming a new wage board for the journalists as it does not do so in the other private sectors, Muhith also said.

Muhith said he doubts whether there were even 15 newspapers, at best 20.

“There are some 500 newspapers in the capital, all are bogus…you want me to fix a pay scale for them? No, not at all! I will fix pay scales for these 15 or 20 newspapers.”

He said they were yet to reach a decision on the issue. “But what we think is there’s no need for a wage board for journalists.”

The minister said clearly that he was not in favour of fixing a pay scale for journalists; rather he wants the market to determine it.

risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 8, 2017/Hasnat/Amirul