Bashundhara Group's East-West Media Group has withheld the salaries of 183 journalists from its three media outlets—Daily Kaler Kantho, Daily Sun, and the online portal BanglaNews24.com—for the past ten months. Many of these journalists, left without employment, are now facing severe hardship, with some struggling to afford basic living expenses, medical treatment, and their children's education. Despite repeated attempts, they have not received their rightful dues from Bashundhara Group._x000D_ _x000D_ On October 1, 2023, without prior notice, all 183 journalists were laid off from these three outlets. Some of these journalists had been associated with these organizations since their inception. During the layoffs, representatives of the management assured them that their dues would be settled promptly following the wage board guidelines. However, following the layoffs, the owners delayed payment of the outstanding dues._x000D_ _x000D_ In response to the journalists' demands, three months later, Bashundhara Group unilaterally calculated their dues without adhering to the wage board's rules and divided the total into ten installments. They provided each affected journalist with ten postdated checks, starting from January 2024._x000D_ _x000D_ However, when the checks were deposited according to the specified dates, they bounced due to insufficient funds in the accounts. The checks for March, April, May, June, July, and August have already been dishonored, as confirmed by the affected journalists to Bangladesh Media Monitor._x000D_ _x000D_ The affected journalists shared their frustrations, saying, "We even tried to stage a protest in front of Bashundhara City but were blocked by security. After organizing several protests in front of the Press Club, we only managed to cash checks for two months (January and February)."_x000D_ _x000D_ Regarding these allegations, when contacted, the Group's Media Advisor, Mr. Abu Tayeb, told Bangladesh Media Monitor, "I have not been closely associated with the media for a long time, but I have spoken to the chairman. The layoffs were mainly orchestrated by Imdadul Haq and Rezaul Karim Lotus. In some cases, even Alamgir Hossain, the editor of BanglaNews, was involved."_x000D_ _x000D_ He acknowledged the issue, stating, "Due to the ongoing economic crisis, Bashundhara Group's companies have been incurring losses, which has caused problems with the second installment of the salaries. However, we are trying to resolve the matter. I have spoken with the chairman, and we are making every effort to disburse the next installment of salaries as soon as possible."