A new wages council for the media and communications industry will be established as approved by Cabinet following a nationwide survey.

In a cabinet release, Labour Minister Filipe Bole said the survey conducted by his ministry found that journalists and reporters work for longer hours than majority of workers and do not receive fair wages compensation compared to workers covered by the existing Wages Regulation Orders.

Bole said most of the workers in the media and communication industry are not unionized to protect them from working under duress and as a result the industry has been thriving for a very long time while reporters and journalists are forced to be content with meager wages.

He said that since no adequate machinery currently exists for the effective remuneration of workers in the Media and Communications, the Employment Relations Advisory Board (ERAB) met and all stakeholders unanimously agreed that a Wages Council be established to regulate that terms and conditions of employment for the Media and Communications Industry.