Journalists in Bangladesh get paid more than civil servants, and should therefore not have a wage board, claimed Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
He made the comment at a discussion organised by the Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh on Tuesday, amid an ongoing movement by journalists demanding a new pay scale.
"A wage board for journalists is unnecessary, totally unnecessary. Because your salary scales are better than government salary scales," said the minister.
A journalist then told Muhith that government employees also receive pension after retirement.
And on top of that a university graduate journalist gets around Tk 8,000 per month in the electronic media.
"We have peons who are university graduates. They get Tk 16,000 per month," replied Muhith.
“A journalist gets minimum Tk 20,000 per month. Wage board for journalists are unnecessary,” added Muhith.
Source: Television channels, bdnews24.com