Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) has voiced concern over the media reports on formation of the 9th Wage Board for journalists, saying there is no logic to support a fresh wage board right now. 

The newspaper owners expressed their concern at NOAB’s annual general meeting held on December 10, said a press release on Wednesday. 

‘NOAB is always in favour of an effective wage board formed through discussions after a five-year interval. There’s no logic to support the formation of a new wage board now for journalists,’ the release reads. 

At the meeting, it said, the NOAB members discussed the media reports on the formation of the new wage board. 

The meeting was told that the 8th Wage Board was implemented only three years back in September 2013. ‘It deserves an analysis how much it is justified to announce the 9th Wage Board by this time. A new wage board was never announced before a five-year period in the past.’ 

Mentioning that journalists are given annual increment every year to cope with inflation, NOAB said the formation of the 9^th Wage Board before at least five years is not acceptable.    

Before announcing the fresh one, the newspaper owners said, it should be assessed and monitored as to how much the 8^th Wage Board award has so far been implemented as many organisations are yet to implement the 7th Wage Board award.

Noting that structural and many other issues of newspapers still remain unresolved, Noab said, ‘Though these issues had been discussed several times in the past during the announcement of wage board, those could not be resolved. It’s crucial to resolve the issues through discussions before forming a new wage board.’ 

Presided over by Matiur Rahman, the meeting was attended by AK Azad, Tasmima Hossain, Reazuddin Ahmed, Mahfuz Anam, ASM Shahidullah Khan Badal, Tarique Sujat, AMM Bahauddin, Altamash Kabir, Nayeem Nizam, Kazi Anis Ahmed, Dewan Hanif Mahmud, M Shamsur Rahman, AHM Moazzem Hossain and Mozammel Haq.