Pry teachers’ hunger strike continues

The indefinite hunger strike enforced by the assistant teachers of the primary schools demanding their salary hike, entered second day on Sunday.

Over 1,000 assistant teachers of several primary schools across the country thronged the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday morning.

They are continuing the hunger strike under the banner of the Primary Assistant Teachers Grand Alliance asking the government to fulfill their demand.

The leaders of the alliance called upon the government to upgrade the salary scale of the assistant teachers to 11th grade from the 14th that would see the basic salary enhancement from Tk. 9,500 to Tk 12,500.

The agitated teachers argued if the headmasters get salary under the 10th grade, the assistant teachers deserve the 11th grade.

The government should reduce the discrimination by accepting the assistant teachers' demand, they pleaded.

Earlier the teachers staged demonstration and held several meetings with the ministers to meet our demand. However, the authorities concerned didn't pay any heed to us, forcing us to go to hard line,UNB said citing Shahinur Al Amin, president of Bangladesh Primary Teachers Society

On December 9, the assistant teachers threatened to go on fast-unto-death from December 23 if their jobs were not upgraded to 11th as per the eighth national pay scale by December 22. But their demand was not met by then.