Teachers and employees listed under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme have announced an indefinite work abstention starting Monday, protesting the police attack, sound grenade explosions, and arrests during their ongoing movement demanding a 20% house rent allowance on their basic salary.
The announcement was made by Principal Delowar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the Alliance for Nationalization of MPO-Listed Education Institutions, during a sit-in program at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka around 4:30pm on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, during a sit-in in front of the National Press Club, the teachers issued an ultimatum to the government to publish a circular regarding the 20% house rent allowance by Monday.
They warned that if the circular was not issued within the deadline, teachers from all non-government educational institutions across the country would boycott classes from Tuesday.
However, the police used sound grenades, water cannons, and batons to disperse the protesters in front of the Press Club and detained several teachers. Following the clash, around 2:15pm, the teachers moved towards the Central Shaheed Minar and began a sit-in there.
Teachers said the law enforcement agencies had disrupted a peaceful and logical movement, which they deemed unacceptable.
From the sit-in at the Shaheed Minar, the teachers declared that they would go on an indefinite work abstention starting Monday, protesting the police attack, sound grenade explosions, and arrests of demonstrating teachers, as well as demanding a 20% house rent allowance.