Emergency services continue
Officers belonging to 25 cadres outside the administration cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service observed daylong work abstention in government offices across the country on Sunday, protesting at the dominance of the administration cadre and suspension of 12 officers.
The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council called the strike that kept emergency services, including hospital services, outside the purview of the strike.
The protesting BCS officers, mostly under the education cadre, also formed human chains wearing black badges for an hour in front of their offices on the day in Dhaka and other districts.
Earlier on Saturday, they issued a one-week ultimatum and warned of a tougher movement if their demands for cadre-based ministry positions, merit-based promotion to deputy secretary and higher ranks, and equality for all cadres in the civil service were not met.
They held an opinion sharing meeting on Saturday on the Public Administration Reform Commission鈥檚 full report which was made public on February 8.
Following a pre-scheduled announcement, on Sunday a group of BCS officers held a human chain in front of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education head office Shikkha Bhaban from 10:30am to 11:30am.
At the human chain, director general of the directorate Professor Muhammad Azad Khan, other senior officials of the directorate and the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council鈥檚 coordinator Muhammad Mofizur Rahman were present.
Mofizur Rahman alleged that the reform commission was biased towards the administration cadre.
He also said that the commission had submitted the final report ignoring the suggestions and demands of the other cadres for posting of the officers in the public offices according to their expertise and the cancellation of quota system for deputy secretary posts.
The discrimination elimination council coordinator also mentioned that 12 officers of the other cadres were suspended recently for a 鈥榯rifling鈥� cause that they locked in altercations with administration cadre officers on Facebook.
鈥榃e will announce our next programme after a week if discriminations in the cadres are not eliminated and suspension of the 12 officers is not cancelled,鈥� he added.
Protesting officers said that they also formed human chains at Farmgate and Agaragaon in the capital.
Inside the Shikkha Bhaban, officers were not seen in their rooms with visitors seen waiting outside their rooms.
Government Titumir College principal professor Sadruddin Ahmed said that under Dhaka University an examination of the honours second year students was held in the college on the day.
鈥楾he teachers who did not have duties formed a human chain in front of the college supporting the work abstention,鈥� he added.
At the Press Information Department situated inside the Bangladesh Secretariat, officers, however, were seen at work.
PID principal information officer Md Nizamul Kabir told 抖阴精品 that they lent moral support to the work abstention but they were doing emergency work.
鈥業t鈥檚 not possible to stop broadcasting work,鈥� he added.
Physicians were seen at work in the public hospitals in the capital, Chattogram and Rajshahi cities on the day.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Rajshahi reported that the teachers of Rajshahi College, Rajshahi Government Women鈥檚 College and Rajshahi New Government Degree College formed human chains in front of their respective institutions supporting the movement.
They also hung banners containing their demands in front of their colleges.
Educational institutions were not affected by the work abstention as Ramadan month holiday started on February 27.
In a press release, issued on Sunday, the council said that they had observed the daylong work abstention across the country.聽聽聽聽聽
Since the reform commission disclosed its draft recommendations on December 17, civil servants under the administration cadre and the rest 25 cadres have faced off against each other, demanding their fair shares in the administrative services.
The public administration reform commission recommends that 50 per cent quota should be reserved for the non-administration cadre officers aspiring for deputy secretary posts, which the protesting 25-cadre officers have refuted.
Earlier in December the council observed similar protests.