The wage board has been formed under Clause 9 of the Newspaper Employees (conditions of service) Act 1974 (rule 30 of 1974) with retired Appellate Division Judge M Fazlul Haque as its chairman, said an official hand out.

The board will fix salaries, allowances and other benefits for the journalists, press workers and general employees of the newspapers and news agencies and submit its final recommendations to the government within nine months.

Other members of the board are Executive Director-1 of Ittefaq Group of Publications Mainul Hosein and Editor of the Daily Samakal Golam Sarwar on behalf of Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Parisad (BSP), Managing Director and Chief Editor Gaziul Hassan Khan of the BSS, Publisher and Editor of the Daily Independent Mahbubul Alam and Editor of the Daily prothom Alo Motiur Rahman on behalf of Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (Noab), Ruhul Amin Gazi and Assistant Editor of the Daily Ittefaq Habibur Rahman Milon on behalf of the BFUJ, M Fazley Imam and M Abul Hashem on behalf of Bangladesh Federal Union of Newspaper Press Workers and M Motiur Rahman Talukder on behalf of Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Karmachari Federation.

In making its recommendations, the board will take into consideration the cost of living, financial benefits available in similar kind of jobs in government, semi-government and private organisations and the prevailing condition of newspapers and news agencies in different regions of the country.

The board can also make recommendations on the basis of 'Time Work and Piece Work', the handout said. Besides, the wage board, if necessary, can make recommendation for granting interim dearness allowance, which will be adjusted later with the recommended salaries.