Journalists' minimum wage should be equal to BCS Grade 9

The Media Reform Commission, in a report handed to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus Saturday, wants the starting pay of journalists pegged to grade-9 BCS officers—Tk 22,000 basic, swelling past Tk 35,000 with perks. 

“It’s time they’re valued,” commission chief Kamal Ahmed said, briefing reporters outside with a vision to lift scribes nationwide.  

The pitch is crisp: match journalists’ entry pay to first-class government cadres, with a bachelor’s degree as the ticket in. 

No more shaky starts—the commission demands appointment letters, photo IDs, and precise salaries for all hires, temporary or not. Probation? Capped at one year. 

“Financial security’s non-negotiable,” Kamal Ahmed stressed, flanked by Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and his 11-member team.  

Life in the capital bites harder, so Kamal Ahmed floated a “Dhaka allowance” atop the base pay—a top-up for journalists grinding it out in the city. 

“Government and media players will set it,” he said, eyeing a buffer against Dhaka’s steep costs. From rural beats to urban bustle, the goal’s the same: a press that stands tall, not scrambles.  

 “We’re banking on this government, and the next, to make it real,” Kamal Ahmed said.