Tension mounts over new pay scale
Many teachers, govt
officials on �warpath�
HARUN UR RASHID
Officials of Bangladesh Bank, public universities teachers, BCS general education teachers, 26 government cadres and primary teachers have vowed to continue their movement to realise their demands, amid mounting tension over the Eighth National Pay Scale.
The teachers of the 37 public universities are organising the movement to uphold their status and to end salary discrepancies created by the scrapping of the selection grade and time scale in the latest pay scale. In spite of their best efforts to press home their demands, they, however, are yet to get a proper response from the government.
Under the new pay scale, only administrative officials can only enjoy Grade-1, while public university teachers will not be able to reach Grade-1 throughout their service as the new pay scale has cancelled the selection grade and time scale. The teachers, under the banner of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA), said they will completely shut down the universities from January 11 till their demands are met.
Weve been continuing our movement for eight months, but have not received adequate response regarding our demands. Nobody has made any contact with us. So, weve decided to shut down all public universities for an indefinite period from January 11, FBUTA secretary general Prof. ASM Maksud Kamal told The Independent. He said they will continue their movement to realise their just demands because they have been downgraded in the new pay scale.
Bangladesh Bank officials, under the banner of Bangladesh Bank Officers Welfare Council (BBOWC), too, are intensifying their movement, saying they have been relegated both socially and economically in the new pay scale. Besides, they are holding a demonstration to realise a separate pay scale, upgrade of the post of executive director to Grade-1 and upgrade of the entrance level to Grade-9, instead of Grade-8, like public university teachers and services of other cadres.
The officials said the government has not paid much attention to their peaceful programme and, therefore, they have decided to take intensive programmes like shutting down the cash department and clearing house, which will eventually affect other banks and stop the wheels of the economy. They also said they have arranged a sit-in programme till January 14 in front of Bangladesh Bank, adding that they will go in for an indefinite mass leave if their demands are not met by then.
They urged the Prime Minister to intervene to resolve the current situation at the central bank.
This situation has arisen because some persons do not want to give us any recognition. We urge the government to resolve it, or well soon announce a more intensive programme, BBOWC general secretary Mohammad Shahriar Siddiqui told The Independent.
He said continuation of the current discrimination would adversely affect the central bank, as talented people would not opt for jobs there.
Teachers of government colleges, under the banner of the BCS General Education Association, are also continuing their movement to realise their demands. They are now at Grade-4 of the Seventh Pay Scale. They could go to Grade-3 because of the selection grade in the previous pay scale. But now they cannot move up the pay grade, as the Eighth National Pay Scale has scrapped the selection grade.
Selim Ullah Khondaker, general secretary of BCS General Education Association, told The Independent that they recently sat for a meeting with a task force, headed by lawmaker Bahauddin Nasim and other senior government officials, to talk about their issues.
