B’desh: Finance Adviser confined inside office over allowance demand

Dhaka, Dec 10 Officials and employees from various ministries and divisions working at the Bangladesh Secretariat confined Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed inside his office on Wednesday as they have long been demanding various allowances, local media reported.

According to officials who were present there, a group of employees gathered in front of the adviser’s office on the fourth floor of the building, leading the Bangladesh daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

Employees, led by Badiul Kabir, a factional president of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Combined Council, confined Salehuddin Ahmed inside his office at Bangladesh's Ministry of Finance.

Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Kabir stated that Secretariat employees have been demanding various allowances for a long time, adding that they will not leave until the government releases an official gazette announcing the benefits.

On December 3, Bangladesh secretariat employees said that they will launch a tougher movement from January 10 if the government does not issue a gazette notification on the pay commission by December. The employees issued the warning in a memorandum sent to the financial adviser by the organisation’s secretary general, Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Bangladesh's media outlet bdNews24 reported.

As per the memorandum, the government employees had high expectations about the National Pay Commission-2025, formed by the current interim government. However, the organisation stated that an atmosphere of uncertainty has emerged at the final stage and termed it unfavourable for fulfilling their legitimate demands.

The council has called for restructuring the existing 20-grade pay scale into 10 phases with 1:4 ratios. As per the memorandum, the lower-grade employees were facing difficulties due to the increasing prices of commodities and the rising cost of living. Delays in enforcing the pay commission report have further increased the frustration among government officials.

The three key demands raised by the organisations are implementation of the 9th pay scale, introduction of secretariat allowance and introduction of secretariat ration allowance.

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