Controversy as university teachers suggest other employees can remain under Prottoy pension scheme

For 11 consecutive days, public university teachers, officials and employees have been staging a total work stoppage demanding the abolishment of the Prottoy universal pension scheme.

However, it is alleged that the teachers may be willing to end the strike if only they are excluded from the scheme while officials and employees are still subject to it, reports bdnews24.com. 

“We welcome the Prottoy scheme. However, we university teachers will not be part of it,” Nizamul Hoque Bhuiyan, the secretary general of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association, or FBUTA, said in a recent television interview.

The general secretary’s remark sparked a backlash on social media.

Abdul Motaleb, the convenor of the Dhaka University Officers-Employees Unity Council, said: “We are all part of a family. As they teach, we provide services at the university. We work as complements to each other. So I believe the law should apply to everyone.”

“As all groups are suffering, this issue cannot be solved by giving special facilities to a particular group. There are four times as many of us as the teachers. That should also be taken into consideration.”

Motaleb said the officials and employees will continue the strike until their demands are met.

However, the council’s convenor says emergency works, including withdrawing certificates at the university's administrative building, will not be part of the strike.

Asked about the situation, Bhuiyan said: “The officials, employees and [teachers] are part of the same family. They are protesting in their way, just as we are. Now it is up to the government to decide who will be included under the Prottoy scheme.”

Meanwhile, Dhaka University has come to a standstill due to the complete work stoppage along with the student movement against the quota system in government jobs.

All classes, examinations and official activities at the university have been halted since Jul 1. The central library of the university is also closed.

The teachers staged a sit-in programme in front of the university’s Arts Building for an hour from noon to 1pm on Thursday. The officers-employees unity council also observed a work stoppage from the morning to noon.

When asked how long the strike would last, Bhuiyan said, “We will continue the complete work stoppage until our three-point list of demands is not met. Our statement is clear, the discriminatory Prottoy scheme has to be abolished. Simultaneously, the inclusion of university teachers in the super grade and a separate pay scale for teachers should be introduced.”

“We are in touch with government high-ups in this regard. We are looking forward to an official discussion next week. I hope the issue will be solved then.”