Municipal employees won't leave demand for govt salary
Agitators say as their three-day work abstention ends
The three-day work abstention by around 32,000 officials and employees of 327 municipalities, demanding payment of their salary and other benefits from the government coffers, caused sufferings to the stakeholders across the country.
The agitators warned of harder programme including fast to death from next Saturday if the government fails to give certain assurance.
Our Bogra Correspondent reports: The municipality employees in the district refrained from rendering their services for the three consecutive days yesterday.
“I came here to get a citizenship certificate for a job application, but failed due to the municipality staff's work abstention,” said Most Mariom Akter, 20, an inhabitant of Sultanganj village under Bogra municipally.
“People feel hesitant to come here to buy fruits as garbage got piled up during the last three days,” said Abdur Rahim, a roadside fruit seller at Satmatha in Bogra town.
As many as 27 services like birth, citizenship and death certificates, road lighting, trade license, garbage cleaning, EPI vaccination and rabies vaccination remained suspended as municipality staff went on a strike demanding salary, pension, gratuity and others allowances like government employees.
Contacted over phone, Md Abdul Alim Molla, president of Bangladesh Municipality Service Association, said, “We are employed by the government, transferred by the government, and work under government rules. Why won't we get the salary and other allowances from the state coffers?”
“Arrear dues of salary and gratuity of many municipality staff are still pending. We will go for harder programme including fast to death from next Saturday if we do not get any assurance from the government,” he said.
Our Gaibandha Correspondent adds: Gaibandha district unit of Municipality Service Association organised a discussion on Gaibandha Shaheed Minar premises yesterday, the last day of their three-day work abstention.
The agitation will continue until the demand of over 32,000 municipality employees are met, speakers said at the programme.
Presided over by unit president Amitav Chakravarti Rintu, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Abdul Alim Mollah, president of central committee, and Shafiqul Islam, joint secretary.
Gaibandha municipality Mayor Shah Masud Jahangir Kabir Milon, Sundarganj municipality Mayor Abdullah-Al-Mamun expressed solidarity.