Journalists seek national media policy, stage demo
Monday, 6 April 2009
The journalists and employees of four daily newspapers asked the government Sunday to implement their three-point charter of demands that include a national policy on the mass media, reports bdnews24.com.
The Journalists-Workers-Employees Oikyo Parishad (unity forum) at a protest rally also demanded payment of the salary dues of the daily Bangladesh Observer, daily Ittefaq, daily Janakantha and daily Dinkal and the weekly Chitrali.
They also asked for reinstatement of the jobs of the retrenched employees and implementation of the Seventh Wage Board in all newspapers and news agencies.
The Parishad leader, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, said the government would have to fulfill the demands by Apr 12 or else they would take tough steps.
Iqbal called for a four-hour token strike in all newspapers and news agencies from 10:00 am on April 12.
A rally was also called for 11:00 am in front of the National Press Club the same day, he said.
Among other speakers were pro-Awami League and pro-BNP journalists and union leaders Fazle Imam, Shah Alamgir, Saiful Islam Talukder, Altaf Mahmud, Abdus Shahid, Ruhul Amin Gazi and MA Aziz.
Earlier, the journalists and employees staged a sit-in demonstration for two and a half hours from 11:30 am in front of the National Press Club.
They later brought out a procession, halting traffic on the road from the High Court premises to Paltan crossing.
Many carried placards and banners in the programme. The Observer journalists held banners that read, "We are starving as we have not been paid for 79 months."
The Journalists-Workers-Employees Oikyo Parishad (unity forum) at a protest rally also demanded payment of the salary dues of the daily Bangladesh Observer, daily Ittefaq, daily Janakantha and daily Dinkal and the weekly Chitrali.
They also asked for reinstatement of the jobs of the retrenched employees and implementation of the Seventh Wage Board in all newspapers and news agencies.
The Parishad leader, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, said the government would have to fulfill the demands by Apr 12 or else they would take tough steps.
Iqbal called for a four-hour token strike in all newspapers and news agencies from 10:00 am on April 12.
A rally was also called for 11:00 am in front of the National Press Club the same day, he said.
Among other speakers were pro-Awami League and pro-BNP journalists and union leaders Fazle Imam, Shah Alamgir, Saiful Islam Talukder, Altaf Mahmud, Abdus Shahid, Ruhul Amin Gazi and MA Aziz.
Earlier, the journalists and employees staged a sit-in demonstration for two and a half hours from 11:30 am in front of the National Press Club.
They later brought out a procession, halting traffic on the road from the High Court premises to Paltan crossing.
Many carried placards and banners in the programme. The Observer journalists held banners that read, "We are starving as we have not been paid for 79 months."