Dhaka, June 18 (UNB) - The government has formed the 8th Wage Board with retired Judge of the Supreme Court and former chairman of Bangladesh Press Council Justice Kazi Ebadul Haque as its chairman to recommend increased wages for journalists, employees and press workers after reviewing the 7th Wage Board Award.

The 13-member Wage Board formed under Clause 143 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 will submit its recommendations to the government within six months, said an official handout on Monday.

The other members of the board are editor-in-chief of UNB Enayetullah Khan, Daily Star publisher and editor Mahfuz Anam, Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman, Dainik Azadi editor MA Maleque, chief editor of Manabzamin Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, managing director and chief editor of BSS Ihsanul Karim, presidents of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Ruhul Amin Gazi, Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Karmachari Federation president M Matiur Rahman Talukdar and its general secretary M Khairul Islam, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Newspaper Press Workers M Alamgir Hossain Khan and its general secretary M Kamaluddin.

Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Information GN Nazmul Hossain Khan was made secretary of the new wage board while the ministry would provide the board with secretarial assistance.

As per its terms of reference, the newly constituted wage board will review the 7th Wage Board Award for the announcement of the 8th Wage Board Award in consultation with all parties concerned.

While making recommendations, the new wage board will consider existing financial condition and capability of newspapers, living cost, discrepancies in salaries in government, corporation and private organisations and existing situation of newspapers in different areas of the country.

The proposed wage board may place a certain recommendation before the government on giving the journalists and press workers dearness allowance for the interim period if necessary.