BADC salary scale vetting completed, employees thank prime minister
Officials and employees of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) have welcomed completion of the long-awaited salary scale vetting, while urging the government to resolve the remaining 519 posts and introduce a full pension system.
The employees expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for what they described as timely intervention in resolving longstanding complications surrounding BADC’s service rules and salary structure.
Speaking at a press conference, BADC Krishibid Samity President Md Humayun Kabir said the Prime Minister’s intervention had paved the way for implementation of the long-awaited scale vetting.
He said the intervention addressed longstanding complications in service regulations and salary structures and helped facilitate specific salary grades for BADC officials and employees.
Established in 1961, BADC has played an important role in producing, procuring and preserving quality seeds, supplying fertiliser and expanding modern irrigation technology to support agriculture and farmers. As an autonomous organisation, it operates under its own law and approved regulations.
According to the employees, a recent Finance Ministry circular created concern by downgrading the salary grades of 4,699 posts by one step, which they said was contrary to existing laws and gazettes. The circular also introduced conditions for some new appointments and promotions.
Officials and employees subsequently staged peaceful programmes, including work stoppages and human chains, in protest.
The employees said a proposal for 10,000 posts had earlier been prepared on the recommendation of a five-member committee headed by a former secretary, following instructions from the Agriculture Ministry. The Public Administration Ministry later approved 9,355 posts for BADC.
However, during the scale vetting process, approval was given for only 5,218 posts, they claimed. Of these, the salary scales for 519 posts were not vetted.
At the press conference, they urged the Agriculture Secretary and Finance Secretary to consider the matter seriously and complete the scale vetting for the remaining 519 posts.
The employees also renewed their demand for introducing a full pension system at BADC, which currently does not have such a system.
They said BADC had long contributed to food security by supplying essential agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, seeds and irrigation facilities, while also improving irrigation through canal excavation and re-excavation.
The speakers also highlighted BADC’s role in the government’s tree-planting programme and said its officials and employees were working around the clock to achieve self-sufficiency in jute and guava seeds following the Prime Minister’s directives.
They called for the introduction of a full pension system and a rational increase in manpower and security-related posts in recognition of BADC employees’ contributions to agricultural development, higher production and farmers’ welfare.
The press conference also expressed gratitude to leaders of the BADC Krishibid Samity, BADC Engineering Association, BADC Officers’ Association, CBA and other professional and employee organisations for their support and solidarity during the movement.
