Media personnel must not be laid off at short notice: Arafat

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat on Wednesday said media personnel must not be fired from jobs by their employers at short notice rather the organisations have to give a three-month notice to do so.

The government would send a letter to all media offices in the country with instructions not to lay off any media personnel at a moment's notice, he told reporters after holding a meeting with the Broadcast Journalist Center leaders at the secretariat in Dhaka.

“All of a sudden, handing over a dismissal letter to an employee is tantamount to the violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in all its forms. I do not think there is a need for a law to stop this trend,” Arafat said.

“I will give an official instruction from the ministry – media workers must not be laid off by any organisation at short notice. At least three months' notice must be given in this regard,” the state minister added.

He said, “In the case of employees [to quit jobs], they also have to give a three-month notice – it can be two months as well – to their employers and both parties can have a solution through discussion. But, it cannot be acceptable to decide on laying off or leaving jobs suddenly.”

At the meeting, journalists pointed out that it is necessary to bring YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms under a policy and accountability, Arafat said.

“I agree to your demand. We will take initiatives in this regard based on discussions with journalist leaders.”