The ‘piece rate’ workers of Bangladesh Power Development Board on Wednesday demanded regularisation of their jobs.
They placed their one-point demand at a human chain formed in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka.
Several hundred such temporary workers, who are paid on the basis of work volume across the country, joined the human chain organised by the Bangladesh Piece-Rate Workers Unity Council.
The council president Mansur Ahmed said that around 2,500 BPDB piece rate workers, who collect post-paid electricity meter reading and deliver the electricity bill papers as contractual employees, were suffering for job insecurity.Â
Monthly income of piece rate workers severely decreased due to the changes in metering system — from analogue electricity meter to digital electricity meter to prepaid electricity meter — leaving them in financial distress, said Mansur.
BPDB decided Tk 3.50 for per electricity meter reading and Tk 2.25 for per electricity bill paper delivery for a piece rate worker in district level and Tk 4.00 for per meter reading and Tk 3:00 for per bill paper delivery in upazila level in 2016.
The council finance secretary Md Manik said that they could not earn more than Tk 6,000 in a month nowadays while they could earn around Tk 10,000 earlier.
‘It is not possible to maintain a family with this too little amount of money,’ said Manik.
Jahir Uddin Babor, the council general secretary, said that the jobs of piece rate workers were near extinction after prepaid electricity meters were introduced.
Job security is a right of the citizens and the government has to ensure it, said Babor, demanding the government ensure permanent employment for the piece rate workers.
He said that the piece rate workers worked to collect revenue for the development of BPDB and the country but they were deprived.
Mansur gave a 10-working day ultimatum to the authorities concerned saying that they submitted memorandums to the authorities including the chief adviser, energy and power adviser and BPDB chairman, but no steps were taken.
The council president announced that the piece rate workers would go for work stoppage and hunger strike if their one-point demand were not met within the time.
Piece rate workers brought out a procession after the human chain programme.
Bangladesh Piece-Rate Workers Unity Council joint secretary Fazlul Karim, joint secretary Amir Hussain and publication secretary Sanaullah, among others, were present at the protest programme.    Â
