The Cabinet has approved in principal of a new law over job regulations for journalists defining them as mass media employees.
The ‘Mass Media Employee Act (conditions for employment) 2018’ received the green light on Monday during the Cabinet’s weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Journalists will be employed under the new law, not the labour law as the existing system, Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam told the media after the meeting.
The Wage Board will be applicable to the employees of all the media, including television channels as per the law, he said.
According to the proposed law, the working hours for media employees will be 36 hours in a week instead of 48 hours, while the casual leave will be 15 days instead of 10 days annually and the earned leave will be 100 days instead of 60 days, added Cabinet Secretary Alam.
Besides, the festival leave will be 10 days in a year, the recreation leave will be one month after every three years, and the maternity leave will be six months in place of the existing eight weeks, he said.
If any individual or organisation violates the provisions of the law, they will be slapped with financial penalties between Tk 50,000 and Tk 500,000.