The teachers of the country’s 37 public universities will observe two full days of abstention from work on September 13 and 17, to demand a separate pay scale for teachers.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Associations (FBUTA) yesterday said in a press statement that if the government failed to resolve the situation by September 17, teachers would be compelled to launch a continuous work abstention programme.
FBUTA president Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed confirmed the programmes scheduled for the 13th and 17th.
The new pay scale does not reflect the teachers’ demands, Professor Farid said. “That’s why we are going for another programme.”
“All scheduled exams will be outside the purview of the programme,” he added.
Relations between public university teachers and the government soured after teachers took exception to comments made by Finance Minister A M A Muhith about the agitation.
The finance minister yesterday withdrew his remarks and apologised.
Professor Farid thanked the finance minister for withdrawing his remarks, which had been slammed by the teachers’ federation as “rude” and “uncalled for.”
Teachers at public universities have been protesting the Eighth National Pay Scale since May 14, advocating a four-point charter of demands that includes the formation of a commission to initiate an independent pay scale for public university teachers.
The other demands of the public university teachers are salary and allowance parity between senior professors and senior secretaries, and between professors and secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of cars and other allowances for teachers, similar to provisions given to bureaucrats.
On Tuesday, public university teachers vowed to continue their movement against the Eighth National Pay Scale, approved by the Cabinet on Monday.
The Cabinet formed a review committee to look into the demands made by public university teachers for a separate pay scale and salary parity between teachers and civil servants.
According to the Cabinet meeting summary, the Secretarial Review Committee agreed with the pay commission’s position that it was not a good time to create a separate pay structure.
Teachers have launched work abstentions, sit-ins and mass signature campaigns to press home their demands.
Public university teachers across the country boycotted classes for three hours every Sunday during August.
Exams have been exempted from the teachers’ movement.
