Public univ teachers fume at new pay [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Public univ teachers fume at new pay

Local December 28, 2015

Teachers at several public universities in the country, including Rajshahi University and Jahangirnagar University, began protesting at the new national pay scale for being ‘discriminatory’.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association on Sunday threatened to take up tougher movement, including ‘complete shutdown of universities’, if the government did not meet their demand for revision of the new national pay scale in a short time.
The apex body of university teachers in the country said they would announce fresh programmes on January 2 if their demands were not met by the end of December.
The Federation general secretary ASM Maksud Kamal at a press conference held at Dhaka University Club Sunday morning alleged the finance minister AMA Muhith had assured them of retaining the selection grade and time scale for university teachers in the eighth pay scale but did not keep his other word.
He also demanded a fresh pay structure, retaining the selection grade and time scale, and salaries for a certain percentage of the university professors that is equal to that of senior secretaries, within a short time.
He urged the finance minister to refrain from any kind of ‘untoward’ comments targeting university teachers, to remove all incongruence in the latest pay scale and reintroduce it.
Maksud also urged the finance minister to apologise for his comments Wednesday, at a press conference, where he said that the demands of the university teachers were an outcome of their ignorance.
Federation president Farid Uddin Ahmed said they had received specific assurance from the minister but had been cheated. He also sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention in the matter.
‘We are not demonstrating for salaries but for our dignity that we lost in the new pay scale,’ he added.
Farid Uddin also alleged some vested quarters were trying to create trouble in the education sector by humiliating teachers.
The teachers association of Rajshahi University on Sunday observed work abstention for full office hours protesting at the remarks of the finance minister.
No classes and examinations were held at the university.
Jahangirnagar University Teachers Association on Sunday announced nonstop work abstention from today to January 2, demanding reformation of the new pay scale.
Chittagong University Teachers Association and Chittagong University of Science and Technology Teachers Association on Sunday also protested at the eighth pay scale and threatened tougher movement if their demands were not met immediately.
In separate press conferences, CUTA and CUET teachers associations urged the government to amend the pay scale.
Bangladesh Agricultural University Teachers Association on Sunday protested at the gazetted eighth pay scale and demanded reconstitution of the pay scale.
The association described the new pay scale as ‘vague’ in a press conference held at the entomology conference room at BAU on Sunday at around 11am.
Rejecting the new pay scale, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University Teachers Association on Sunday at a press conference also threatened to take up a tougher movement if their demands were not met by January 2.
Teachers of public universities across the country have been protesting for the past eight months demanding separate pay scale, including selection grade and time scale.