Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Information and Broadcast Ministry on Tuesday got another 60 days to examine and amend the much-debated Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022. Chairman of the Committee Hasanul Huq Inu sought the time extension in Parliament and the House unanimously approved the proposal. Earlier on June 6, the same parliamentary committee was given 60 days to examine the Bill and report back to the House. On March 28 of this year, Information and Broadcast Minister Hasan Mahmud placed the Bill and it was sent to the parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny of the proposed law. According to a source, the Standing Committee did not sit for a meeting till now. Earlier on June 16, Inu told media that the parliamentary body will sit with different stakeholders before finalizing the “Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill.” Various journalists organisations and owners association, Transparency International Bangladesh have seriously opposed various sections of the proposed law. The Editors' Council (Sampadak Parishad) has said the space for independent media will shrink further if the proposed bill is passed by parliament. The wages and benefits of journalists, employees and press workers, artists of broadcast, online, and print media outlets would be fixed under the proposed law. As per the bill, journalists will be regarded as media professionals, not as workers. Read: PM participates in extended discussion in JS on global roots of local suffering The wage board will be applicable for journalists and employees of all the media outlets, including print and electronic, as per the Bill. According to the Bill, the minimum working hours for media employees will be 48 hours in a week, while the casual leave will be 15 days instead of 10 days and the earned leave will be 100 days instead of 60 days annually. If anybody works beyond the stipulated time, he or she will be entitled to overtime pay. Besides, the festival leave will be 10 days in a year, recreation leave will be 15 days after every three years, and the maternity leave will be six months in place of the existing eight weeks. If anyone or organisation violates the provisions of the Bill, s/he will be fined Tk 50,000-Tk 5 lakh. The government will be able to cancel the licences or registration of the media. The owners of media outlets will also face punishment for violation of the law. If anyone or any organisation violates the provisions of the Bill, he/she will face monetary fine or imprisonment, the Cabinet secretary said. Once the new law is passed in parliament, jobs of media employees will no longer be regulated under the labour law. Currently, journalists and employees of media houses are regarded as “workers” under the labour law. Once the law is passed, they will be regarded as media personnel, not workers. According to the proposed law, a wage board will be formed for the media personnel. The wage board will fix salaries and allowances of media personnel in line with the salary scale of the government employees and it will be applicable to the owners of all media outlets.

The Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022 was placed in Parliament aimed at increasing facilities in job for journalists and other employees.Information and Broadcast Minister Hasam Mahmud placed the bill and it was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee. The committee was asked to submit its report within 60 days.The bill provides for recognising journalists in the media industry as employees instead of workers. Also read: Parliament opens 17th session amid social distancingThe wage board will be applicable for journalists and employees of all the media outlets, including print and electronic, as per the proposed law.According to the bill the working hours for media employees will be 48 hours, while the casual leave will be for 15 days instead of 10 days and the earned leave will be 100 days instead of 60 days annually.Besides, the festival leave will be for 10 days in a year, recreation leave for 15 days instead of one month after every three years, and the maternity leave for six months in place of the existing eight weeks.If anyone or organisation violates the provisions of the bill, s/he will be fined Tk 50,000-Tk 500,000 lakh.On October 15, 2018, the cabinet cleared the draft ‘Mass Media Employees Act (Conditions of Service)’ at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Secretariat. Also read: Speaker nominates panel chair of 17th JS sessionThe government will be able to cancel the licences or registration of the media. The owners of media outlets will also face punishment for violation of the proposed law.If anyone or any organisation violates the provisions of the bill, he/she will face monetary fine or imprisonment, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said.