Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain in four weeks as to why the published gazette notification of the 9th Wage Board Award for the journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies should not be declared illegal.
The High Court Bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order after hearing a supplementary petition filed by Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) on October 14 challenging the legality of the Wage Board Award.
Advocate Yousuf Ali appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khaled stood for the State.
Information Secretary, Labour Secretary and Chairman of the 9th Wage Board have to comply with the rule within four weeks.
Advocate Yousuf Ali said, “There is no bar to implement the recommendations of the 9th Wage Board as the High Court issued a rule” only.
The Information Ministry has published the gazette on the “Ninth Wage Board Award” for journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies, dated September 12, on its website. The gazette came into effect on the date of publication.
Earlier on August 5, President of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the Ninth Wage Board Award.
After hearing the petition, the HC Bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Mohammad Ali on August 6 directed the government to maintain status quo for two months on publication of the gazette notification.
Later on August 20, 2019, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cleared the way for the government to publish the gazette notification for implementing the recommendations of 9th Wage Board for journalists.
The apex court stayed for eight weeks the High Court order that issued status quo on publication of the gazette notification.
A four-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after concluding the hearing on a petition filed by the government seeking stay on the High Court order.
