Municipality employees take to streets in three districts
Municipality employees in three districts took to the streets yesterday, demanding arrear salaries and nationalisation of their jobs.
Under the banner of Bangladesh Municipality Service Association (BMSA), the demonstrators also sought that the government pay the dues from the state exchequer.
In Barishal, employees from six municipalities staged a rally and formed a human chain at the city’s Ashwini Kumar Hall.
“Around 550 employees of six municipalities have been suffering hardship as they did not get salaries for three months to two years,” said Shafiul Alam, president of Barishal district unit of the association.
Some 32,000 officials and employees of 327 municipalities across the country have been demanding arrears and benefits for a long time, said Shafiqul Islam, central joint organising secretary of BMSA.
In Dinajpur, at least 300 employees from nine municipalities formed a human chain and rally in front of Dinajpur Press Club.
Speakers there threatened to start a hunger strike on July 14 if their demands are not met by then. They also alleged that they face discrimination in payment disbursement.
Employees have been agitating since 1990, said the speakers. Such irregular payment caused great hardship to many employees, they said.
The situation exists due to fund crunch, said demonstrators, adding payment from the national exchequer can be a solution.
Meanwhile, employees from Sundarganj, Palashbari, Gaibandha, and Gobindaganj staged a sit-in in front of Gaibandha Press Club.
They locked their respective office and blocked the station road for four hours, disrupting traffic.
After the sit-in, they brought out a procession in the town, from where they gave similar ultimatum to the government. They said they will stage a sit-in at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka if they are not paid.
Contacted, Barishal’s Muladi Municipality Mayor Shafikuzzaman Rubel, Dinajpur Mayor Jahangir Alam and Gaibandha Mayor Masud Jahangir Kabir Milon expressed solidarity with the demands.
[Our correspondents from Barishal, Dinajpur and Gaibandha contributed to the report]
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