Bangladesh Boiler Attendant Welfare Association has demanded postponement of the examination scheduled for 17 October, to issue third-class boiler operation licences, until legal complications are resolved.
The organisation warned that if its demand is not met, it will launch a blockade at the examination centre and stage a protest surrounding the boiler head office to demand the resignation of Mohammad Abdul Mannan, chief boiler inspector.
These demands were announced at a press conference held at the Supreme Court Bar Association building on Thursday. Rezaul Karim, president of the organisation; Iqbal Shamim, general secretary; and Mohammad Saifur Rahman, lawyer, were present at the event among others.
According to a written text presented at the conference, boiler attendants are currently employed across various establishments holding first and second-class certificates issued under the Boiler Operation Rules, 1953, and the rules published in the official gazette in 2010.
However, when the Boiler Act was gazetted in 2022, Section 9 replaced certificates with boiler operation licences. Furthermore, Section 12 of the act categorised licences into three classes: first, second, and third.
The organisation explained that when a writ petition was filed with the High Court challenging the legal validity of Section 12, the court issued a rule along with an order of status quo in 2022.
However, without disposing of the lawsuit, the boiler authority published the Boiler Policy in the official gazette in 2025.
Simultaneously, prior to resolving the writ regarding the certificate and licence dispute, a notice was published to conduct an examination for awarding third-class licences, which is scheduled for 17 October.
Writ petitioner Md Sahidul Islam filed an application seeking a stay on the examination. Additionally, Saifur Rahman, lawyer representing the writ petitioners, served a legal notice to the authorities.
The organisation claimed that the authorities have not yet taken any action regarding the matter.
It noted that boiler attendants currently holding first and second-class certificates are aggrieved by the decision to convert their certificates into second and third-class licences.
If new third-class licences are issued prior to the resolution of the writ, second-class certificate holders fear losing seniority compared to licence holders, creating concerns of workplace instability.
Under these circumstances, speakers at the press conference announced that if the 17 October examination is not postponed, the examination centre will be besieged next Sunday, alongside a besieging of the boiler head office to demand the resignation of the chief boiler inspector.
