Teachers of public universities across the country are abstaining from their works for three hours and holding demonstrations to press for their four-point charter of demands at the respective campuses on Thursday. The teachers also threatened to go for a total shutdown for indefinite period from January 11 if their demands regarding the ‘discrimination’ in the 8th national pay scale are not met by Thursday. They also wore black badges from January 3 in support of their demands. At Dhaka University, the teachers are holding a sit in at Battala on the campus. At other universities, similar demonstrations are going on. The teachers earlier alleged that finance minister AMA Muhith had assured them of retaining the selection grade and time scale for university teachers in the 8th national pay scale like that of the seventh pay scale, but he did not keep his words. They demanded a fresh pay structure reinstating the selection grade and time scale, and salaries for a certain percentage of the university professors equal to that of senior secretaries within a short time. The public university teachers have been protesting the 8th national pay scale since May 14, advocating a four-point charter of demands that includes the formation of a commission to initiate an independent pay scale for public university teachers. The other demands of the public university teachers are salary and allowance parity between senior professors and senior secretaries, and between professors and secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of cars and other allowances for teachers similar to provisions given to bureaucrats.
At Islamic University, the teachers association observed the work abstention and held a sit-in programme in front of the faculty building of the campus from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
The teachers association president M Emtaz Hossen said that the government must revise the 8th national new pay scale.
Meanwhile, Comilla University Teachers’ Association also observed the work abstention in solidarity with all public university teachers.
All the teachers of the university attended the work abstention and held sit-in at journalist square of the campus.
Source: New Age
