MPO-listed teachers and employees have given the government until 30 December to meet their three-point demand, warning of tougher protest programmes if their demands are not addressed within the deadline.
Their demands include the issuance of transfer orders, salaries and allowances in line with the ninth pay scale, and 100 per cent festival bonuses from the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.
The ultimatum was announced at a press conference held at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Wednesday morning.
Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO Nationalisation Expectant Alliance, announced the deadline and presented the demands in a written statement.
He said more than 600,000 MPO-listed teachers and employees across the country had been waiting for the demands to be implemented for a long time.
Many teachers have to work hundreds of kilometres away from their families, causing considerable hardship, he said, adding that transfer orders should be issued without further delay to ease their difficulties.
Azizi said the Ministry of Education had sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance on 1 November, seeking funds to pay teachers and employees of MPO-listed schools and colleges in line with the ninth pay scale.
Welcoming the initiative, he urged the government to take similar steps to allocate funds for teachers working in madrasas and technical education institutions.
The alliance also demanded that festival bonuses be increased from the existing 50 per cent of basic salaries to 100 per cent, starting from the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.
Explaining the decision to hold a press conference instead of a sit-in outside the National Press Club, Azizi said the alliance had considered the overall situation and the safety of teachers.
However, he stressed that the movement had not been suspended.
“If the government fails to take effective steps to fulfil our demands by 30 December, we will consult the alliance leaders and announce tougher programmes,” he said.
