BADC employees protest downgrade of salary grades, warn 'complete shutdown'

Employees of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) today staged demonstrations and observed a half-day work stoppage across the country, protesting a Finance Ministry circular that downgraded the salary grades of most of the corporation's posts.

Issued on 31 August, the circular set salary grades and related conditions for 4,699 posts under 91 categories. Employees alleged that it lowered the grades of almost all posts by one step and introduced unacceptable conditions on recruitment and promotion.

The protests were held at BADC's headquarters in Dhaka and offices nationwide. Employees said they would announce tougher programmes, including a "complete shutdown", if the circular was not withdrawn.

According to BADC officials, the corporation has an approved workforce of 6,800, but only around 2,700 employees are currently working. Despite the staff shortage, they said, BADC continues to supply agricultural inputs, including seeds, non-urea fertiliser and irrigation services.

The corporation produces around 150,000 tonnes of seeds annually and imports about 2.5 million tonnes of fertiliser each fiscal year under government-to-government arrangements. It has also been assigned to re-excavate around 9,000km of canals under a government plan to re-excavate 20,000km nationwide.

Employees alleged that the order violates provisions of Article 29(1) of the Constitution, the BADC Act 2018, its 1990 regulations and a 1999 gazette.

The order also directs BADC to amend its recruitment rules based on new eligibility and experience requirements, with Finance Division approval and clearance from the Secretary Committee on Administrative Development.

Established in 1961 and renamed BADC in 1976, the corporation has played a key role in agricultural input supply and irrigation management.

The protesters urged the prime minister and relevant authorities to intervene and cancel the circular.