Plight of Journalists MustBe Addressed

It has been a month and 23 days since Reefat received his last salary. The media house he works for is an established one, with some strict regulations for employees enforced through a biometric attendance system. The authorities deduct one day’s salary for three days of late entry – in violation of Section 126(1)-(2) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, which clearly states that an institution cannot deduct wages disproportionate to the period of absence. Additionally, the company concerned requires employees to apply online within 72 hours of taking leave. Failure to meet the deadline comes with extra hassle for employees, requiring them to apply offline, seeking the authorities’ approval for the leave taken.
While enforcing such regulations, often contradictory to labour law, the newspaper often falls short of protecting employees’ rights, including the timely payment of salaries as well as offering increments and promotions as guaranteed in the 8th Wage Board. Moreover, the owners retain the ultimate authority to terminate a journalist at any time without requiring them to show any solid reason behind the move.
The discrepancy Reefat endures at his office is not an exceptional case. Except for a few well-reputed media houses, delayed salaries and deprivation of increments and promotions are common phenomena in the industry. The deprivation goes on alongside the very existence of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. Section 123(1) of the act states that employers must clear salary disbursements within seven days following the end of a month. In the event of non-compliance, employees can file complaints through the Labour Inspection Management Application (LIMA) under the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.
A review of the labour inspection summary available on the LIMA website reveals that only two inspections were conducted at two media houses in the last five years, both in 2024. An application submitted online to the authority seeking further details of the operation remained unattended until the publication of this article. The LIMA data on inspections are evidence of the plight journalists are enduring without seeking any government intervention.
In an apparent acknowledgement of the plight of media workers, the Media Reform Commission formed by the then interim government made several recommendations, including the establishment of an independent National Media Commission. The commission was outlined as an independent entity free from any government influence and capable of enforcing self-accountability. The other key recommendations include reform of media ownership, enactment of a law offering professional safeguards for journalists and the rollout of a standard salary structure.
Sadly however, not a single recommendation has seen the light of day. Rather, the interim government drafted two ordinances regarding the regulation of the media that have neither been enacted by the ruling BNP. Zahir Uddin Swapon, the first information and broadcasting minister of the current BNP government, talked on several occasions about developing a framework for establishing an independent media commission. However, such discussions have no longer been heard since Andaleeve Rahman Partho replaced him in August.
The hope accumulated after the end of the Awami League’s authoritarian rule is now bleak. Governments change, but the plight of journalists persists, which has apparently prompted at least two journalists to commit suicide in recent years. Bibhuranjan Sarker, a 71-year-old journalist from Ajker Patrika, reportedly jumped into the Meghna River in August 2025, leaving a suicide note behind. The note reflected on his life, struggles and disappointments over five decades in journalism.
Another suicide, which took place in September this year, shook the media industry. Pulak Chatterjee, former Barishal bureau chief of Samakal, left five suicide notes before taking his own life at his former workplace. The notes revealed how difficult life had become since he was terminated without proper reason and how he was made to run day after day to recover his arrears of around Tk10.30 lakh.
As persistently high inflation continues eating into a substantial share of our income, irregular payments and the deprivation of minimum increments have turned daily living into a daily struggle for many journalists like Reefat.
In a demonstration of responsible guardianship, the government has enforced a new pay scale for government employees from July this year. Despite the crisis the economy is facing due to the Middle East conflict, economists have barely raised any objections to the new pay scale, considering the inflationary toll on government employees.
But inflation has not affected only government employees; journalists are also bearing the brunt. The responsibility also lies with the same government to monitor the well-being of journalists by putting pressure on media owners to offer pay rises and pay salaries and provide other benefits, including increments, on a regular basis.
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The writer is a Senior Sub-Editor at Daily Sun