Chairman of the board Justice Mohammad Fazlul Haque announced the recommendation following a three-hour long meeting of the board members, representing the owners, journalists and employees. He also suggested awarding of the DA to take effect from July 1, 2005.

The amount of the allowance, however, will not exceed Tk 5,500 in any case, according to the announcement that came in the third meeting of the board, constituted to re-fix the wages, allowances and other benefits of journalists and newspaper and news agency workers and employees.

Meeting insiders said representatives of journalists and employees demanded 60 percent DA while the owners' representatives suggested 20 percent, prompting the chair to apply his judgement in settling the matter, which was unanimously accepted by both parties.

Officials said the recommendation would now require government approval for its enforcement.

The Sixth Wage Board came nine years after the fifth Wage Board, though the wage boards are supposed to be constituted every five years under the provisions of Newspaper Employees (Condition of Services) Act 1974.

The last Wage Board had announced 35 per cent DA, but this is for the first time that the owners, journalists and employees have reached a unanimous decision on the DA.