The meeting between Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and public university teachers demanding the cancellation of the Universal Pension Scheme has been cancelled.
The matter has been confirmed by the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association on Thursday.
It said as Obaidul Quader is set to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, he decided to cancel the meeting with the protesting teachers.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association on Sunday declared an all-out work stoppage at public universities across the country from Monday, as the government did not remove them from the “Prottoy” scheme of the universal pension system by the deadline set by the organization.
This all-out work abstention will not only be limited to classes but will extend into examinations and administration work.
Public university teachers have been vocal against the Prottoy scheme since it was launched earlier this year.
What is in the scheme?
Under the current scheme, employees are entitled to a gratuity as a retirement benefit at the end of service.
When an employee retires, he/she receives a large sum as a gratuity. Half the gratuity comes to the employee immediately upon retirement, and the rest is paid in installments. For the gratuity, no portion of the amount is deducted from the salary. Gratuity depends on employees’ position and number of years in service.
Prof Mahbubur Rahman, president of the Chittagong University Teachers Association, said: “Our current pension is not contributory. No money is deducted from the monthly salary for pension purposes.”
Under the recently introduced Prottoy scheme, 10% of the basic salary or a maximum of Tk5,000, or whichever is less, would be deducted monthly, and the same amount would be provided by the employer.
According to an amendment to the Universal Pension Scheme Management Act, the Prottoy scheme will be applied to the employees serving all self-governed, autonomous, state-owned, statutory, or homogeneous organizations and their subordinate bodies who would join in such service on July 1, 2024.