Biman officials threaten strike

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is heading towards a stalemate as officials and staffs, demonstrating for immediate resignation of chairman and all members of Biman board of directors, threatened yesterday to go for indefinite strike if their demands were not met by March 26.
The warning came at a sit-in by several hundred agitated officials and employees of the national flag carrier at Biman's head office at Balaka Bhaban in the city from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
Under the banner of "Biman Bachao Oikya Parishad," seven trade unions of Biman demanded that Biman's Chairman and board members resign immediately taking liability of what they claimed as Tk 1,000 crore loss that Biman incurred due to inefficiency of the current board.
Meanwhile, sources said the Biman chairman met with the prime minister few days back and sought her interference to resolve the stalemate.
The sources also said, after Biman Chairman Air Marshal (retd) Jamal Uddin Ahmed returns from Saudi Arabia at this month's end, a decision may be taken whether the current board will be dissolved or not.
On Tuesday, Jamal Uddin had to cancel five free Biman tickets and purchase those to fly to Jeddah with his four family members for performing Umrah there.