KATHMANDU: The Minimum Wage Fixation Committee, constituted by the government to make timely revision in remuneration of working journalists, on Saturday submitted a new monthly salary structure of mediapersons to the Ministry of Information and Communications by reviewing their exiting minimum monthly pay.

As per the revision made by the MWFC, journalists associated with media houses (‘A’ Class newspapers, all television stations, FM radios with capacity of above 500 Watt, all government-owned media, radio networks and FMs with more than one station) where the Working Journalists Act, 1993 is effective, will be entitled to a minimum monthly salary of Rs 19,500.

Similarly, Rs 14,000 has been fixed as minimum monthly salary of employees/workers of such media house.

The existing minimum monthly salary of journalists and employees/workers associated with national-level media is Rs 10,008 and Rs 7,367 respectively.

This amount was fixed by the MoIC on the recommendation of the MWFC in 2012. The Labour Act 1992 has a provision for fixing the minimum salary on the basis of recommendations made by MWFC.

A press statement issued by MWFC said that the recommendation of salary increment was made to the MoIC as per the need to revise the minimum salary structure of working journalists in a periodical manner under the Act.

“A sub-committee formed by MWFC revised the monthly minimum salary of working journalists after four years on the basis of a six-month long study and consultations with stakeholders,” read the statement.

Similarly, Rs 14,100 and Rs 12,000 have been prescribed for working journalists and employees/workers associated with other media houses respectively. The MWFC has also recommended that MoIC make arrangement of additional Rs 1,000 for journalists of national-level media and Rs 500 per month for journalists working with other media houses keeping in mind communication expenses.

MWFC said the recommendation is also based on the Nepal Living Standard Survey published by the Central Bureau of Statistics and the total inflation rate since 2012.