The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Leaders of the three unions of the Daily Ittefaq in a joint statement said the wage board award for journalists and employees had nothing to do with the slander made by a leader of a faction of journalists' union while speaking at a rally of journalists, workers and employees in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday. The rally demanded the amendment of the 6th Wage Board Award.

Instead of raising the demands of journalists and employees through a constructive review of the wage board award, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, the leader of one faction of BFUJ, made attacking remarks targeting the Daily Ittefaq and Law and Information Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein, which cannot be accepted by conscious and professional journalists silently.

The journalists, workers and employees of the Daily Ittefaq rejected outright his intentional vilification which was contrary to the principles and values of journalism.

The journalists and workers of the Ittefaq blamed the leadership of Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury for occupying the Bangladesh Observer and forcing its journalists, workers and employees to pass inhuman life.

At the same time, they expressed gratitude to the almighty Allah for saving the Ittefaq from the hands of harmful elements.

They also said that it still remained a mystery why Chowdhury had passed an entire night in the Ittefaq office when the first incident of killing took place at the Ittefaq Bhaban. The journalists, workers and employees of the Ittefaq strongly condemned his unfounded and slanderous remarks made against one of the owners of the Ittefaq. At the time, they hailed Barrister Mainul Hosein for directing the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of RAB to investigate the incidents of killing in the Ittefaq.

On behalf of the journalists, workers and employees of the Daily Ittefaq, the joint statement was signed by Deputy Unit Chief of the Ittefaq Unit of Dhaka Union of Journalists Khondaker Abul Hossain, president of the Daily Ittefaq Karmachari Union Kazi Bazlur Rahman and General Secretary Jahanara Begum, and Asadullah and Alamgir Hossain, Senior Vice-President and General Secretary respectively of the NNP Workers Union.