The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Broadcast Ministry on Sunday got another 90 days to examine Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022. This is for the third time that the chairman of the parliamentary body Hasanul Huq Inu sought time in parliament as the committee couldn’t complete the scrutiny within the stipulated time. The House unanimously approved the committee chief’s proposal for extension of the time. On March 28 last year, Information and Broadcast Minister Hasan Mahmud placed the bill and it was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the respective ministry for scrutiny of the proposed law. The committee earlier in June and August last year sought 60 days for scrutiny of the bill. Also read: Parliament’s winter session begins on January 5 According to the source, the JS committee did not sit for a single meeting till now. 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. 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. 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. 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.    

BNP on Sunday demanded the withdrawal of the Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022 placed in parliament last month as the party thinks it will help the government gag the media and regulate its critics. "A new law, the Mass Media Employees Bill 2022, is being enacted. The purpose of this law is to ensure no freedom of speech, no freedom of press and no democracy in the country,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Speaking at an iftar party, he also said the objective of the law is also to establish the government’s full control on it critics and on those who raise voice in favour of truth, democracy and people. Also read: Turkish envoy meets Fakhrul, talks about next polls If this law is passed, the BNP leader said the ‘state of control', that has been currently prevailing in the country will be reinforced. “We demand the withdrawal of this draft law.” Pro-BNP faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the iftar party on the Jatiya Press Club premises. On March 28 last, Information and Broadcast Minister Hasan Mahmud placed the Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022 in Parliament. Fakhrul called upon the journalists to get united putting aside minor differences and divisions among them and carry out a united struggle to protect their own and the media interests and to protect the rights of the people of Bangladesh and the freedom of press. He alleged there is now no democracy in the country, freedom of speech, rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. Also read: Info Minister calls Mirza Fakhrul 'a great liar' “We have to wage a movement to restore all these things...let us all create public opinions to establish a truly people's government in the country through (holding a credible election under )a neutral government by ousting the current fascist regime.”

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said the Mass Media Employees Bill will be placed in parliament in the upcoming winter session of Jatiya Sangsad. "You’ve a long-awaited demand for the mass media employees’ law. I want to give you good news that the Law Minister has already signed it.  We hope we’ll be able to place the bill in parliament’s upcoming winter session,” he said. The minister came up with the remarks while addressing a biennial general meeting and reunion of Chattogram Divisional Journalists' Forum (CDSF), Dhaka at the Jatiya Press Club. Read: Partisan doctors politicising Khaleda’s health, treatment: Info Minister Dr Hasan said it will be possible to ensure legal protection for all the journalists who work for the broadcast media, recognised online, radio and newspapers once the bill is turned into a law. He said some journalist leaders placed a demand to him for outlining qualifications and criteria to become a journalist. “I personally don’t think it’s appropriate to fix any degree for it. Because it’s seen in some cases that a metric-passed journalist can write better than a journalist who has master's degree.” The minister, however, said anyone can now introduce himself/herself as a journalist while the fake journalists are much higher than the real ones at the upazila level. He said many fake journalists use press stickers in their vehicles and they are creating a negative perception among people about the journalist community with their unruly activities. Dr Hasan said he has instructed the Press Council to make a standard to ensure discipline in this regard. As per the Wage Board, he said, group insurance for journalists and media employees should be there in every media house. “But it didn’t happen. It doesn’t require much money.” He said the organisations of journalists can focus on this issue as being able to work for journalists is the success of journalist bodies. The minister also said it is necessary to appreciate the government for its good works alongside criticising it. Read: BNP fails to appreciate PM’s generosity to Khaleda: Info Minister Dr Hasan mentioned that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did many things for the welfare of journalists, including allocating the land of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC). He said the Prime Minister has promised to build a 21-storey building in the Jatiya Press Club and a plan for it has already been made. “Work on constructing the (JPC) building is in progress. The 21-storey building in the Jatiya Press Club is going to be constructed as per the promise of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.” Prime Minister’s former information adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, BFUJ former president Manzurul Ahsan Bulbul, former JPC president and daily Jugantar editor Saiful Alam, DRU former president Shahjahan Sardar, JPC treasurer Shahed Chowdhury and CBSF secretary general Shahin Ul Islam Chowdhury, among others, addressed the programme with CBSF acting president and UNB sports editor Md Mostafa Kamal in the chair.