MWFC made the recommendation while submitting a report after six-month long study to make a review of journalists' minimum wage to Minister for Information and Communications Dr Minendra Rijal on Sunday.
MWFC has recommended Rs 19,500 as minimum wage to journalists working with category 'A' print media, television and FM radios above 500 watt. Likewise, the committee has set a minimum salary of Rs 14,400 for non-journalists staff working in such media organizations.In the case of journalists working in other media organizations, MWFC has recommended the government to fix Rs 14,100 and Rs 12,500 a month for journalists and non-journalists staff respectively. The committee has also recommended Rs 1,000 for journalists working for national media and Rs 500 for other journalists as telephone expenses a month. Among other things, MWFC has recommended the government to make it mandatory for all media houses to increase the wage of stringer journalists by 50 percent.
MWFC Chairman Khem Bhandari said the minimum wage was set after holding a series of interactions with media owners, working journalists and other staff working in the media houses. Altogether 38 district level interactions and four development regional level interactions and a national interaction were held in Kathmandu in the course of preparing the report.
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