Staff, drivers confine BRTC chairman for arrears
Drivers and staff of different depots of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) yesterday staged a demonstration, locking the main gate of BRTC head office in the capital’s Motijheel, demanding arrears.
Around 100 staffers confined outgoing BRTC Chairman Farid Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan inside the office from around 9am and slashed the tyre of his car during the protest. They also demanded that all drivers who were previously fired, allegedly for demonstrating for their arrears, be reinstated to their jobs.
They withdrew their demo after the chairman agreed to meet their demands around 7pm, BRTC Secretary Noor-e-Alam told The Daily Star last night.
As per the agreement, BRTC will cancel its decision of sacking and transferring drivers, will give salaries from head office on the first day of every month and will release the arrears gradually, he said.
A driver, who participated in the meeting with the chairman, however, said the authority agreed to give all arrears within two months. Earlier in the day, during the demo, a driver told this newspaper, “We have besieged the head office as we came to know today is our chairman’s last day at office. We won’t allow him to leave until he pays our dues.”
On April 2, drivers and staff of 18 depots from across the country formed a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club to press home their ten-point demand, including payment of their arrears and nationalisation of their jobs.
They had urged the authorities to meet their demands within April 22.
Some 3,200 BRTC employees, including drivers, get salaries and other benefits like that of government employees. But under the current system, the salaries and benefits of depot employees have to be paid from the earnings of that particular depot.
The lion’s share of the depots’ earnings come from leasing out buses to private entities and organisations, including educational institutions. The depots provide the drivers with fuel and look after vehicle maintenance.
BRTC chairman Farid Uddin said the issue with arrears came up after a new pay scale was implemented from 2016 which significantly increased the expenditure of the depots.
BRTC has purchased 1,100 vehicles and around 500 buses and trucks have already been added to the fleet which has increased their income, and this will help clear a lot of the arrears within four months, the chairman said.
Asked about the allegation of corruption, the chairman did not give any direct answer. He said they have introduced software-based fleet management system and daily monitoring system to curb irregularities.
Asked about the demonstration at a press conference at his ministry yesterday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said there are some problems but it is not a major issue.
“We are looking into it and will take action in this regard,” he said, adding, “There are allegations of indiscipline [in BRTC], and officials concerned of the ministry will look into it.”
Meanwhile, public administration ministry on Sunday transferred Farid Uddin to department of archive and library as its director general. Rahamat Ullah Md Dastagir, additional secretary of power division, will replace Farid.
Comments