NN Online:
The running staff of Bangladesh Railway, including loco masters, guards, and TTEs, have declared a strike starting at midnight on Monday due to unresolved salary and allowance issues. As a result, train services will be suspended nationwide.
According to protesting railway workers, they have been receiving an additional 75 per cent of their basic salary, along with extra allowances and pension since the British era. This compensation is due to the fact that these workers are required to work beyond the standard 8-hour international duty time, from the time of departure to the return of trains.
Additionally, they do not have weekly holidays. However, in 2021, the finance ministry issued a notification that revoked these long-standing benefits.
Since then, the running staff have been demanding the restoration of these financial benefits. They have previously staged protests, including actions like refusing overtime duties and surrounding railway buildings.
Despite multiple meetings, negotiations have failed to reach an outcome. Most recently, the Running Staff Unity Council threatened to go on strike if their demands were not met by January 28. With no resolution in sight, the staff are set to begin their strike from Monday midnight, causing a nationwide halt in railway services.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has called on the running staff of Bangladesh Railway to withdraw their strike and ensure the continuation of train services. The ministry emphasised its sincere efforts to address the concerns of railway officials and employees.
The appeal was made in a public notice issued by the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Rezaul Karim Siddique, on Monday evening at 7:30pm. The notice also mentioned that the running staff had announced their strike starting from January 28. As a result, there is a growing concern about a complete disruption of railway services and severe passenger inconvenience nationwide.
The railways ministry, along with Bangladesh Railway, has expressed its sincere and utmost efforts to address the demands of the running staff. The ministry has already forwarded the staff’s demands to the Ministry of Finance, and both written communication and bilateral discussions are ongoing to resolve the issue.
