The teachers and employees under the government鈥檚 monthly pay order system on Wednesday afternoon blocked the capital鈥檚 Shahbagh crossing as the government failed to meet their demands for pay hike by that time.
The blockade halted vehicular movement at the crossing and created huge traffic congestion in the adjacent areas, including Banglamotor, Science Laboratory, and Dhaka University, causing huge sufferings to the commuters.
On the third consecutive day of their countrywide work abstention and non-stop sit-in programme on the capital鈥檚 Central Shaheed Minar premises, hundreds of the teachers and employees marched to Shahbagh crossing from the sit-in venue and blocked the city鈥檚 busy crossing at about 2:00pm.聽聽
Demonstrators are protesting under the banner of MPO-bhukto Shikkha Jatiyakaran Pratyashi Jote, a platform of the MPO teachers and employees seeking job nationalisation, pressing three-point demand.
Their three demands are allowing 20 per cent of their basic salary as house rent allowance, Tk聽1,500 as medical allowance and an increase in the festival allowance for employees from the current 50 per cent to 75 per cent.
The platform鈥檚 member secretary, principal Delawar Hossain Azizi, said that they issued an ultimatum to the authorities to accept their demands and issue a circular by 12:00pm on Wednesday.
鈥榃e have blocked the crossing as the government failed to issue the circular,鈥� he said.
A large number of police personnel were seen in the area to maintain law and order situation.
Since Wednesday morning, a huge number of teachers and employees from different districts gathered on the Central Shaheed Minar premises to press home their demands.
On Tuesday, they marched towards the secretariat and staged a sit-in near the High Court crossing as police stopped the march by putting barricades there.
Earlier on October 12, the police dispersed protesting teachers using water cannon, hurling sound grenades and charging batons as they blocked the road in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to press home the demands.