The government is going to appoint 288 fire inspectors for the garment factories from BCS candidates who have passed all three tiers of the test but could not be given cadre posts, said a high labour ministry official.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed also told the journalists yesterday that he already talked to Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman in this regard.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the officials concerned to see if the factory inspectors could be appointed through Bangladesh Civil Service tests.
Appointment of factory inspectors was one of 16 conditions outlined in the Bangladesh Action Plan by the United States for GSP reinstatement.
“The condition was to appoint to 200 inspectors, but we have decided to appoint 288,” said Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar.
Of them, 65 will be non-cadre first class officials while 223 will be second class, he added.
“A final proposal will be sent to the PSC by next week,” the secretary said.
BCS candidates vie for the first class jobs in the country’s civil service, but the government wants to intake the second class officials from the interested ones. A large number of candidates come out successful in all tests including the viva-voce, but only some win cadre posts due to the limited vacancy.
For last couple of years, PSC has been recommending the government to fill the non-cadre first class posts from those successful candidates. The government has been doing accordingly.
“I told the PCS chief to recommend candidates for the second class posts officials. If they are interested, we can take them,” said Tofail Ahmed.
He said if the US authorities refuse to reinstate generalised system of preferences (GSP) facility after meeting all the conditions, “I would say it will be a political decision.”
“We would not get GSP back if the issues like Grameen Bank, Dr Muhammad Yunus and politics are considered here,” he said.
“Business is a non-political issue. It should be kept out of politics,” the minister said referring to the GSP issue.
Tofail also said if a group or person is given special advantage in business on the basis of political identity, the business sector would not develop and remain stagnant.
“It is an ominous sign for Bangladesh that politics is being mixed up the economy even in the international arena. We are being dictated by the big powers,” he alleged.
Tofail Ahmed was talking to the journalists after the meetings with the representatives of Bangladesh-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) and the International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB).
BMCCI delegation was led by its KB Ahmed while IBFB team was headed by its president Hafizur Rahman Khan at the commerce ministry office at the Secretariat.
BMCCI leaders urged the government to allow opening letters of credit (LC) directly to enhance and expand bilateral and regional trade and commerce and connectivity.
They also demanded to launch Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights in the Dhaka-Chittagong-Yangon-Dhaka route.