Tangail Polytechnic Institute (TPI) teachers have started abstaining from work demanding a hike in their wages and the honorarium they get for taking a second shift of classes in line with a Finance Ministry decision.
They kicked off a protest on Thursday afternoon by boycotting the second shift classes as part of a central movement being led by the organizations of polytechnic teachers.
The institute's officials and staff had also joined the demonstration, demanding a salary hike.
The teachers, who have not taken the honorarium in over one year, said they started the movement as they found the July 18 Finance Ministry circular that lowered the amount of their honorarium.
They also threatened to continue their movement until their demands are met.
The second shift of classes in the Diploma in Engineering curriculum was introduced in 2004. The teachers were given a 30% honorarium against their basic salaries till June 2013. In July that year, that rate was increased to 50% in line with the National Pay Scale 2009, which they received until June 2015.
Gradually, between July 2015 and June 2018, the 50% honorarium was given in line with the 2015 National Pay Scale.
But the Finance Ministry in July 2018 issued a circular, which reverted the 50% honorarium rate back to the one that was given in the with the 2009 Pay Scale, angering the teachers.
The teachers have been asking the authorities to increase their salaries and hike the honorarium rate to 100% in line with the 2015 Pay Scale.
As the authorities did not pay any heed, the central committee of the polytechnic teachers decided to start boycotting all academic activities, including the second shift classes, from August 1, 2019 until their demands are met.