New DUJ leaders assume office

The Newly elected committee of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) assumed office in a colourful ceremony at the Jatiya Press Club here on Tuesday. According to the provision, outgoing general secretary Saban Mahmud handed over the resolution book of the DUJ to newly elected general secretary Quddus Afrad while treasurer Shahana Sheuli received financial books and documents from Mofizur Rahman.
Outgoing DUJ leaders presented newly elected president, general secretary and other office bearers with flowers. Prime Minister’s media adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul and secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, former DUJ president Kazi Rafiq , general secretary Abu Zafar Surya ,outgoing president of DUJ Omar Faruk and general secretary Shaban Mahmud, and former president and general secretaries of the DUJ spoke on the occasion.
Speakers welcomed the newly elected DUJ leaders and hoped that the new leadership would be able to establish the rights of the working journalists and brighten the image of the DUJ. Addressing the function, newly elected president of DUJ Altaf Mahmud urged the newspaper owners to pay the wages and benefits of the journalists and newspaper employees according to the eighth wage board award.
He also urged the government for restoration of the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1974 to protect the legitimate rights of the journalists and newspaper employees. Altaf Mahmud and Quddus Afrad were elected president and general secretary respectively of the DUJ in the biennial election held on January 30 last.
Other elected office bearers are- vice president Atiqur Rahman Chowdhury, joint secretary Gazi Zahirul Islam, organizing secretary Sohel Haider Chowdhury, publicity secretary Rafiq Ahmed, sports and cultural secretary Selim Ullah Selim, public welfare secretary Mehedi Hasan and office secretary GM Masud Dhali.
Elected executive committee members are- Amiya Ghatak Pulak, Shahnaz Begum, Akter Hossain, Alhaj Zahirul Haq, Shamima Akhter, Shafiuddin Ahmed Bitu, Mamun Abedin, Anup Khastagir and Poly Khan.