Teachers threaten tough movement

The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Associations (FBUTA) yesterday warned of a tougher movement after the Eid-ul-Azha if the government fails to meet their demands including immediate revision of the 8th national pay scale and a separate salary structure for them.

The platform of public university teachers also sought immediate intervention of the prime minister and said they won't stop their ongoing agitations on the assurance of any cabinet member.

Teachers of all the 37 public universities yesterday observed a daylong work stoppage to press for a separate pay scale. No classes were held in any of the universities but examinations remained out of the strike's purview.

They will hold a similar programme again on September 17. Their demands also include equal benefits and salaries for senior professors and senior secretaries.

The teachers' body ruled out sitting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith for discussion regarding the pay scale. 

"He [Muhith] has grown old. It is time for him to resign. Teachers will not sit with him since he is biased," FBUTA President Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed said at a press conference at Dhaka University Club.

"We will not stop our movement even if a cabinet member assures us of solution. We want the prime minister to step in immediately."

Farid Uddin said a tougher movement will be waged after the Eid if the government does not take a "realistic and constructive decision" regarding their demands.

However, talking to journalists at the secretariat, Finance Minister Abu Maal Abdul Muhith said the matter is not so serious that it has to be solved in a day or two. He said it would be considered in an appropriate time.

On Thursday, the finance minister said, "A pay scale was announced following teachers' movement in 1973. Since then the teachers had been receiving salaries and allowances under a unified pay scale."

He also said the new pay structure had 20 grades, and like in the past professors were given the same status as secretaries, who under grade 1 would get a monthly salary of Tk 78,000.

"The pyramid structure usually applicable to other professions does not apply to university teachers and the number of university teachers is higher in the upper ranks than in the lower ones."

Rejecting finance minister's comments, FBUTA General Secretary Prof Maksud Kamal said pyramid structure exists in the public universities where the number of teachers in higher ranks is less than that in the lower ranks. 

"We know that he [Muhith] is the chief of the newly formed cabinet committee which is dealing with the teachers' demands. Teachers will never accept a committee headed by a person who made himself controversial with vindictive remarks against teachers," he said reading out a written statement at the press conference.

"Including two super/zero grades, there exist 22 grades in the 8th pay scale, a matter the finance minister consciously avoid discussing publicly. By creating two special positions for bureaucrats, teachers have been downgraded by two steps," he said, referring to creating two special levels putting senior secretary and secretary-in-charge" two levels above them.

Talking to The Daily Star last night, Prof Farid Uddin said they demand reinstatement of selection grade, which has been scrapped in the 8th national pay scale, approved by the cabinet on September 7.

They also want salaries of selection-grade professors to be equivalent to that of senior secretaries. Besides, university professors who are now under grade-III have to be elevated to grade-I, which secretaries belong to.