Officials from 25 civil service cadres staged a one-hour pen-down strike on Tuesday, protesting the introduction of a quota system in the deputy secretary pool proposed by the Public Administration Reform Commission.
They also opposed the exclusion of education and health cadres from the civil service structure and the establishment of a separate ministry for these cadres.
The protest, organized by the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council (ICDEC), took place nationwide from 11am to 12pm.
However, administration cadres refrained from participating in the strike.
ICDEC announced a rally in Dhaka on January 4, where further action plans will be unveiled.
The protest followed a recommendation made on December 17 by the Public Administration Reform Commission, which proposed introducing examinations for promotions to the posts of deputy secretary and joint secretary in public administration.
The commission also suggested a 50-50 quota for deputy secretary promotions, dividing opportunities equally between administration cadre officers and officers from other cadres.
This marks a significant departure from the current system, where 75% of such promotions are reserved for administration cadre officers, leaving only 25% for other cadres.
The proposal sparked strong opposition from non-administration cadres.
In this regard, Dr Muhammad Mofizur Rahman, ICDEC Coordinator, told Dhaka Tribune: “Though the Service Act 1975 emphasizes recruitment based on merit, administrative cadres have continued to maintain the quota system under various pretexts.”
He also alleged that the administrative cadres repealed the Service Act in 2018 to gain control over the senior service pool.
“This contradicts the principles of nation-building,” Mofizur argued. “If students protested against a 56% quota in jobs, how would they react to a 75% quota in promotions? Will they spill their blood again?”
He emphasized the importance of appointing field experts to leadership positions, warning that lack of expertise could lead to poor decision-making.
Concerns of health, education Cadres
The Public Administration Reform Commission also proposed removing health and education cadres from the civil service, suggesting their transformation into specialized departments.
Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, head of the commission, said: “We recommend restructuring the health and education cadres as specialized departments to better suit their functions.”
In response to that, the BCS General Education Association held a press conference on Tuesday.
Acting General Secretary of the organisation Mohammad Tazib Uddin said: “It is unfortunate that the proposal by the Public Administration Reform Commission to exclude the BCS General Education Cadre and Health Cadre from the cadre system has deeply hurt the 16,000 officials of the BCS General Education Cadre”
The organization also presented a 15-point demand, which includes the elimination of quota discrimination, cadre-specific appointments, and the upgradation of professor positions to grade-3.
Mohammad Neamat Hossain, convenor of BCS Health Cadre Association told Dhaka Tribune: “The cadre system is not only for money, it is also for the respect it comes with.
“Only 3-4 countries in the world have the cadre system. If someone wants to remove any cadres, they should also abolish the whole cadre system,” he added.
“This is a clear discrimination. No quotas should be in consideration for deputy secretary promotion,” said Neamat.
