In a statement, DUJ President Quddus Afrad and General Secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Tapu came up with this demand.
Earlier on April 1, authorities of Bangladesher Khobor newspaper suspended the publication in the first week of April and later announced holidays for journalists until July 31 without paying their arrears, the statement said.
DUJ leaders also marked this step ‘illegal’.
Read Also:BFUJ, DUJ demand Tk 50 lakh for each journo died from Covid-19
The journalists’ leaders said some mass media owners and authorities are torturing journalists as well as ignoring the Prime Minister’s directives and labour law by sacking employees during this coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier on May 9, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) demanded Tk 50 lakh as compensation from media outlet owners for each journalist lost to the coronavirus.
The joint statement said three journalists died from coronavirus and with symptoms of the virus while 80 more infected mass media workers are being treated either at their respective homes or hospitals.
Read Also:BFUJ, DUJ seek assistance for journos; hand over list to minister