Pay Commission Implementation: Chattogram Protesters Appeal to Chief Advisor

A sit-in and protest program was held on Tuesday at the initiative of the BCSIR Employees Welfare Council (Union), Chittagong, to publish the gazette of the non-discriminatory ninth pay scale recommended by the Pay Commission and implement the 7-point demands.

The rally held after the protest in the presence of the employees of the Chittagong Laboratory was addressed by Md. Asadur Rahman Jewel, President of the 11-20 Grade Government Employees Forum, Chittagong Division, Taslima Akhter, President of the BCSIR Employees Union, General Secretary Md. Hasibul Hossain, Tiklu Talukder, Organizing Secretary Md. Sajjadul Islam, Sultan Mahmud Sujan, Golam Rabbani, Israt Jahan, Md. Aminur Rahman, Uma Das, Amit Shil, Md. Saiful Islam, Mir Hossain and others. At this time, the speakers said that it is very difficult to live with a salary of only 8,250 taka in the high-priced market.

Despite repeated assurances from the government, the pay scale has not been provided even after 11 long years. Expressing their anger, they said that the current interim government formed a pay commission to provide the pay scale. That commission submitted its report to the government on January 21 of this year. But the Finance Advisor is wasting time in the name of forming a committee instead of publishing the gazette of the 9th pay scale as per the Pay Commission report, and on the other hand, the Energy Advisor, despite not having any responsibility in this regard, has unwittingly expressed his disappointing opinion regarding the implementation of the pay scale, saying, "The current government will not implement the pay scale." They said that a new government will be formed after the upcoming 13th National Parliament elections. They can either keep this proposal or drop it. On the other hand, the extreme anger and frustration among the employees of the republic is becoming more intense as the Finance Advisor has not given any statement on the publication of the gazette of the 9th pay scale so far. As a result, employees all over Bangladesh have been protesting on the streets since February 1 to demand their demands. Referring to Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the direct guardian of the employees of the republic, we too cannot bear the cost of people, hunger, and family maintenance in any way. Considering the plight of the employees, He had formed a pay commission to provide pay scales.

Therefore, please restore the previous benefits of time scale and selection grade and ease the suffering of the employees by publishing the ninth pay scale gazette. He warned of a strict agitation if the pay scale gazette is not published at this time, saying that the agitators will not return from the streets without taking the pay scale gazette.