The authorities at Bengali daily Bhorer Kagoj have announced the closure of its operations.
The newspaper's owners have issued a notice declaring the closure on Monday.
According to the notice, The authorities of Bhorer Kagoj have decided to shut down the head office of the organisation under Section 12 of the Bangladesh Labour Act-2006 due to circumstances beyond the owners control. This decision will take effect from January 20, 2025.
Some employees at Bhorer Kagoj have been demonstrating for the last few days, demanding wages as per the 8th Wage Board and the payment of arrears from their date of appointment.
On Sunday (January19), a section of the journalists, along with leaders of the journalists' union and outsiders, held a demonstration in front of the newspaper's head office at Malibagh in Dhaka.
The employees said in response to the demonstration, the authority issued a notice on Monday.
A senior journalist from Bhorer Kagoj said some employees are paid under the 8th Wage Board, others hired on a consolidated basis are now demanding wage board benefits, which has caused the dispute.
According to the protesting staff, the Bhorer Kagoj authorities implemented the 8th Wage Board to secure government benefits such as a Tk 900 per column-inch advertisement rate should clear all dues, including wages and service benefits, before any layoffs.
Their demands included immediate implementation of the 8th Wage Board for all employees if layoffs do not occur, issuance of appointment letters to all employees.
The newspaper was first published on 15 February 1992. The newspaper was available in both print and online formats.
Naimul Islam Khan was the founding editor of the newspaper. He was followed by Matiur Rahman, Benazir Ahmed, Abed Khan, and currently, Shyamal Dutta.
NY
