SC to hear state appeal against HC stay on 9th Wage Board on Aug 19

The regular bench of the Appellate Division will hear the state's appeal against the High Court stay on 9th Wage Board to increase the salary of employees in the print media and news agencies.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 14 August 2019, 01:57 PM
Updated : 14 August 2019, 02:01 PM

On Wednesday, Supreme Court Chamber Judge Md Nuruzzaman referred the issue to the regular bench of the Appellate Division for a hearing on Aug 19.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukdar represented the state in the court, as AF Hasan Arif represented Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh chief Matiur Rahman, who filed the writ petition.

"The chamber judge refused to hear the plea as he was once the legal counsel for Matiur Rahman and wanted to forward it to the chief justice.

"Both parties requested that the appeal be forwarded to the regular bench of Appellate Division. The court then forwarded it to the regular bench to hear it on Aug 19," Amit told bdnews24.com.

Following the initial hearing of the writ petition filed by Matiur, a High Court bench issued a two-month stay order on Aug 6 on publication of a gazette on the 9th Wage Board. 

It also issued a rule asking why the finalisation of 9th Wage Board and recommendation to the government to publish gazette without consulting the stakeholders will not be declared as illegal.

The court ordered convener of the relevant ministerial committee Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, the information secretary, labour secretary, and chairman of the 9th Wage Board Commission to reply to the rule within four weeks.

According to the petition, the 9th Wage Board chairman has finalised it on his own, without providing the stakeholders any opportunity to object to it, which defies the labour law, “beyond his jurisdiction and illegally”.

"Therefore, there had been ill intention behind finalisation of the 9th Wage Board and it was a biased decision. The gazette cannot be published before final scrutiny."

“Also, the wage board recommendation was finalised without consulting others and without the disposal of another writ petition under trial on the issue; it should be then declared illegal."

The High Court issued a rule on Jul 2 last year asking why the 9th Wage Board will not be declared illegal.

Information secretary, labour secretary and Wage Board Chairman Nizamul Haque Nasim were asked to reply the rule, which is still under trial.

The journalist associations were demanding the new wage board after the last one was announced in 2015. They staged several movements on the issue.

A 13-member 9th Wage Board headed by former Justice Nizamul Haque was formed on Jan 29, last year.

NOAB chief, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur filed the writ petition in May last year.

On Nov 4, Justice Nizamul submitted a report to the then information minister Hasanul Haq Inu recommending maximum 85 percent increase in salary benefit for the journalists.

A ministerial committee of five headed by the then cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor was formed on Dec 4. 

The new government formed a seven-strong panel on Jan 21 headed by Quader.

Recommendations on the 9th Wage Board has been finalised, Quader told the journalists on Jul 25, adding the gazette will be published soon following the nod from the cabinet.

He never mentioned the average increase in salary benefit recommended by the cabinet committee.