Officials announce demo inside secretariat to press home 9-point demand

Officials and employees of the Bangladesh Secretariat have announced a demonstration inside the Secretariat next Wednesday to press home their nine-point demand, including removal of inequalities.

The "Bangladesh Secretariat Officers-Employees Joint Council" made the declaration saying that they will hold a grand rally at the Secretariat on 4 December to press home their demands.

Md Badiul Kabir, president of the organisation, came up with the announcement from a rally held on the Secretariat premises on Thursday.

Speaking to the media, Badiul Kabir said that if steps are not taken to fulfil their declared demands before 4 December, they will hold a mass rally on 4 December.

"We are staging protests to realise our demands. We urge the government to meet our demands without any delay,” he said while addressing Thursday’s rally.

The demands include the formation of a National Pay Commission, reducing the number of pay grades from 20 to 10, implementing a 50% dearness allowance before rolling out the full Pay Commission, upgrading the 20th-grade positions (office assistants) to the 17th grade, and 10th grade to the 9th grade.

The demands also include restoring the time-scale and selection grade system for all grades, introducing a 100% pension gratuity scheme, exempting annual incomes up to Tk5 lakh from tax, increasing the retirement age from 59 to 62, and offering Secretariat employees allowances similar to those at the President's office and rationing facilities similar to the Defence Ministry.

The Bangladesh Secretariat Officers-Employees Joint Council also demanded the removal of a joint secretary accused of delays and misconduct in addressing their grievances.

They also demanded the cancellation of discriminatory orders imposed during the previous regime and the implementation of seniority-based promotions.

The rally was attended among others by the council’s secretary general Md NizamUddin Ahmed and presided over by Md Badiul Kabir.