4 December rally of secretariat employees postponed

The rally announced by the employees of Bangladesh Secretariat for Wednesday (4 December) inside the Secretariat to press home a nine-point demand has been postponed.

Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council president Md Badiul Kabir announced the decision today (1 December) at a press briefing following a meeting with the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration and the Land Secretary at the secretariat.

The council had earlier planned the rally to demand financial benefits for 'long-deprived' officials, a 50% dearness allowance until a new pay commission is formed, reinstatement of the time scale and selection grade, reintroduction of rationing, an increase in the retirement age, changes to designations, and timely promotions.

Kabir said, "Tensions have been rising within the Secretariat. Our demands were acknowledged as logical during discussions with the Public Administration Secretary, Land Secretary, and other senior officials. They assured us that these issues would be addressed in phases through dialogue. Thus, we have decided to suspend the rally."

Senior Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry Md Mokhlesur Rahman said over 2,000 administrative and personal staff members at the Secretariat have long been deprived of pay raises and promotions.

"The nine demands are reasonable and achievable though fulfilling some will take time. While certain issues can be resolved immediately, others require long-term planning," he said.

Land Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed said, "We discussed the employees' demands and will implement them in phases. However, some legal complexities require consultations with the chief adviser."