Around 15,000 employees of 381 nationalised colleges yesterday demanded nationalisation of their jobs, saying they find it hard to make ends meet with their meagre salaries. Leaders of ‘Non-Government Employees Oikya Parishad in Government Colleges of Bangladesh’ said though teachers of nationalised colleges were getting all government facilities, other employees were being deprived of such benefits. They made the demands at a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

They placed five-point demands including nationalisation of their jobs, suspension of new appointments until then and salaries under the government pay scale. Oikya Parishad president Saiful Islam said: “Many of our colleagues, especially third- and fourth-grade employees, have been working for 10–20 years in the colleges. We've dedicated our lives to these educational institutions. But we go back home empty-handed.”

“A government employee in these institutions gets Tk. 20,000–25,000 a month. But our minimum salary is Tk. 4,000, which is even below the wages of garments workers,” he added.

He also said they did not have any job security. The job depends on the whims of the college heads as their salaries come from the tuition fees of students, he added.

 Saiful Islam pointed out that the number of students is increasing, new departments are being opened and new teachers appointed every year. The workload of non-government employees has increased, but no new posts have been created for them, he added.  The Oikya Parishad has appealed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to nationalise their jobs so that they can lead decent lives with their families.