Ahead of the parliamentary elections, leaders of pro-opposition employees’ organisations at the Secretariat have resumed their activities to realise several demands – breaking the silence after roughly five years.
Their activities are seen inside the country’s administrative hub recently, when the country’s political situation is volatile centring the next general elections, slated for January 5.
The pro-government organisations term those activities baseless as most of the seven demands put forward by the pro-opposition organisations have already been met or are under consideration.
Some suspect that untoward incidents might take place given the confronting atmosphere prevailing in the Secretariat between the two groups.
Nazrul Islam, president of Shachibaloy Karmakarta Karmachari Sangjukta Parishad, claimed that they had no ill motives behind being reorganised.
“We have already submitted to the government our seven-point demands which are promotion and creation of new posts, upgrading job status, increasing pay scales, eliminating discriminations, introducing risk allowances and confirmation of service for the work-charged employees. We are moving ahead to realise these demands,” he said.
On December 2, they had been chased by the pro-government officials and employees when supporters of the pro-opposition organisation went to the finance ministry to meet the minister. Other officials and law enforcers intervened to quell the untoward situation.
In late October, a section of pro-opposition public servants, terming themselves “patriot” employees, distributed anti-government leaflets inside the Secretariat raising allegations of corruption and misuse of power against several ministers, advisers and top-level civil bureaucrats.
The pro-opposition organisations are Bangladesh Shachibaloy Karmakarta Karmachari Sangjukta Parishad led by Nazrul Islam and Mahe Alam; Secretariat Personal Officers’ Association of Sultan Ahmed and Kamal Hossain; Stenotypist cum Computer Operators’ Association led by Hannan Sardar and Zillur Rahman Rashed; Office Assistant cum Computer Operators’ Association of Md Salauddin and Yusuf Mridha; Secretariat Computer Employees’ Association led by Nizamul Hassan and Nazrul Islam; Secretariat Accounts Officers’ Association headed by Aktar Hossain and Parvez Ahmed; and Secretariat Grade IV Employees’ Association led by Rahmat Ullah and Azim Uddin.
The Sangjukta Parishad was earlier led by pro-government leader Nizamul Haq Bhuiyan Milon. A section of pro-opposition employees coming out of the organisation formed a new one with the same name under the leadership of Nazrul and Mahe Alam.
Their movement is backed by a non-cadre assistant secretary of the finance division and two pro-opposition senior journalists, pro-government employees’ leaders allege.
They said there was no significant issue to launch a movement as most of the demands had already been fulfilled. The government also announced the pay commission to increase salaries and facilities for the public servants.
Ruhul Amin, secretary general of Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees’ United Council, claimed that the pro-opposition officials and employees had been reorganising to create an anarchic situation in the administration.
Milon said, “A section of pro-opposition officers and employees are trying to achieve their goals by cashing in the current political turmoil. The employees and officials will resist them.”
