Railway staff defer strike for 10 days

Railway staffers, including loco-masters, postponed their scheduled strike from early today for 10 working days.

"We have decided to postpone our work abstention for 10 working days following the assurance of the Prime Minister's Office," Mujibur Rahman, chief convener of Bangladesh Railway Running Staff Oikya Parishad, told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said they will have a meeting with the principal secretary of the prime minister on August 29 over the issue and will take the next step accordingly.

Running staffers -- officials including loco masters, assistant loco masters, guards and travelling ticket examiner (TTE) -- on August 1 announced to go for work abstention from 12:01am of August 28 demanding reinstatement of their post-retirement benefits.

On April 13 last year, the running staffers went for a work abstention suspending the operation of all trains to press home the same demand. At that time the authorities assured to meet their demand.

The finance ministry in 2021 declined to give the pension benefit, incensing the staffers.