Non-government teachers and employees on the monthly pay order scheme on Sunday continued their protest for the seventh day running, rejecting the government measure for increasing their house rent allowance.
The protesting teachers, however, termed the government measure to allocate 5 per cent of their basic pay, or minimum Tk 2,000 for house rent as a 鈥榩rimary victory鈥� and vowed to continue their movement until their demand for 20 per cent of their basic pay as house rent allowance was fulfilled.
In response to the protests, the government took the measure with the Finance Division鈥檚 approval given to the allocation on Sunday.
The existing house rent allocation has been a fixed amount of Tk 1000.
Protesters also announced hunger strike to start from today鈥檚 morning and a teachers鈥� procession will also be organised from the Central Shaheed Minar premises from 10:00am today.
On Sunday, the police barricaded teachers and employees鈥� hunger march with near the High Court crossing.
At the hunger march, demonstrators vowed to continue their protest pressing for a three-point demand, including allocating 20 per cent of their basic pay as house rent allowance.
They also rejected the education adviser鈥檚 call for returning to classes.
Education adviser to the interim government Professor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar on Sunday urged the protesting teachers to return to their respective educational institutions.
Due to the protest, academic activities in the MPO educational institutions are currently disrupted, the adviser said while talking with journalists at Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka city.
Leaders of different political parties and a student body, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, National Citizen Party and Dhaka University Central Students鈥� Union expressed solidarity with the protesters.
On the day, their sit-in on the Central Shaheed Minar premises in the capital and countrywide work abstention had continued for the seventh consecutive day since October 13.
Several thousand teachers and employees, under the banner of 鈥楳PO-bhukto Shikkha Jatiyakaran Pratyashi Jote鈥� (platform aspiring for nationalisation of MPO educational institutions) started the protest on October 12, pressing for increases in allowances.
Regarding medical allowance, they want Tk 1,500, which is currently Tk 500.
Regarding festival allowance of employees, they want 75 per cent of their basic pay, which currently 50 per cent.
On Sunday morning, the Finance Division issued a letter approving a 5 per cent of basic pay or minimum Tk 2,000 as house rent of MPO teachers and employees in the context of the limited government budget.
The letter, sent to the secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division under the education ministry, also read that the increase had to be coordinated with the next National Pay Scale and all financial rules must be followed in providing this allowance.
Being informed of the news of the approval, the protesters responded with a vow to continue their movement.
MPO-bhukto Shikkha Jatiyakaran Pratyashi Jote member secretary Delawar Hossain Azizi said that the 5 per cent increase was a partial and primary victory of their protest, but they would continue the movement until all their 3-point demand was met.聽
On Sunday, their scheduled hunger march was delayed till 3:00pm as the protesters had a meeting with BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the party chairperson鈥檚 office at Gulshan.
After the meeting, platform leader Delawar Hossain Azizi told journalists that Mirza Fakhrul expressed solidarity with the protesters.
鈥楬e advised us to carry out the programmes peacefully so that no one can take opportunity to create chaos,鈥� Azizi said.
After the meeting, the protesters brought out a hunger march towards Secondary and Higher Education Division headquarters Shikkha Bhaban carrying empty plates from the Central Shaheed Minar at about 3:20pm.
The police, however, stopped the march with barricades near the High Court crossing.
The protesters then staged a rally there for about one hour, causing huge traffic congestion in the adjacent areas, including Dhaka University, Gulistan, Paltan and Press Club.
Addressing the rally, Azizi said that protesters would not return to the classes until demands were met.
鈥榃e are cooperating with the government. But the government must not consider our cooperation as our weakness,鈥� said Azizi.
He also announced a hunger strike at Central Shaheed Minar from today, saying that the sit-in and countrywide work abstention would continue.
