Teachers’ strike paralyses public univs

A strike enforced by public university teachers on Tuesday demanding review of the new pay scale, and a separate pay scale, paralysed universities across the country.
The teachers further threatened strike on campuses for an indefinite period.
Teachers under the banner of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association enforced the strike from 8am to 5pm at all 37 public universities to press home their four-point demand.
The federation leaders said they would hold a meeting with editors of newspapers Thursday and organise a protest rally at the Dhaka University campus on September 13 to strengthen the movement.
Their four-point demand includes keeping senior professors and senior secretaries on the same pay scale and at an equal level of payment and benefits as enjoyed by the same grade of government officials, and proper place in the warrant of precedence for teachers.
About 15,000 teachers of 37 public universities enforced the strike and as a result of that no classes and exams took place on campuses, reported New Age correspondents at different universities.
Meanwhile finance minister AMA Muhith found ‘no justification’ for the movement by the teachers saying ‘they (the teachers) are ignorant about the facilities given in the new pay scale.’
‘The educated class of society is carrying out a movement from lack of knowledge,’ he said.
At the Dhaka University, federation president Farid Uddin Ahmed, while speaking at a protest rally at Central Shaheed Minar, said that public university teachers were ‘disappointed’ at the cabinet’s approval of the eighth pay scale on Monday, without considering their four-point demand.
‘We will call strike at all campuses for an indefinite period if our demands are not met soon,’ said federation secretary Maksud Kamal.
The cabinet on Monday approved the new pay scale with effect from July 1, 2015.
The cabinet secretary, Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, said university teachers would get salaries and benefit at the higher rate passed by the cabinet. He said the cabinet had asked the cabinet committee to address disparities in the
government salary structure to look into the demands of the public university teachers.
Meanwhile, Jahangirnagar University Teachers Association brought out a protest procession from in front of the Old Arts building which ended at Shaheed Minar. The teachers there also threatened to go on indefinite strike if their demands are not met, from a rally at Shaheed Minar.
Teachers of Rajshahi University and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology enforced the strike at their respective campuses and threatened tougher agitation programmes to realise their demands.
Teachers association of Chittagong University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Islamic University in Kustia, also enforced the strike at their respective campuses.
University teachers said the status of teachers had been brought down two steps in the new pay scale, which they found ‘disgraceful’. Earlier, university teachers abstained from work and took part in a sit-ins at all public universities, every Sunday of August, to press their demands. They also met with finance minister AMA Muhith and education minister Nurul Islam Nahid and submitted memorandums.

- See more at: http://newagebd.net/156097/teachers-strike-paralyses-public-univs/#sthash.Y8TmFod2.dpuf