Dhaka: Journalists will observe a three-hour ‘pen down' programme from 11 am to 2pm on March 19, 20 and 21 to press home their demand for immediate announcement of the 9thwage board.

Besides, they will stage a street-march towards the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and submit a memorandum on March 22 if the wage board is not announced by the time.

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) president Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul on Sunday announced the programmes while observing a road blockade programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club.

As part of their countrywide programme, the journalists observed the two-hour road-blockade programme beginning at 11am in front of the Jatiya Press Club with the initiative of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ).

All the unions and media organisations having the BFUJ affiliation arranged the road-blockade programme across the country demanding immediate announcement of the 9th wage board and the trial of all the journalist murder cases, including that of Sagar-Runi.

Speaking at the programme in the capital, the journalist leaders strongly criticised the Information Minister for unnecessarily buying time to announce the wage board.

They also urged the minister to take lesson from the incidents occurred in the past.

The BJUF president said the journalists will be forced to hold its next rally in front of the secretariat if the wage board is not announced immediately.

BFUJ secretary general Omar Faruque, former secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) president Shaban Mahmud, DUJ general secretary Sohel Haider Chowdhury, Dhaka Reporters' Unity President Shakhwat Hossain Badsha and its general secretary Mursalin Nomani, among others, spoke at the programme.