The government employees, belonging to the Grade 11 to Grade 20, have issued a note of warning saying that strict measures will be announced if the decision of offering dearness allowance (DA) is cancelled.
They cautioned that if the government had taken any such decision, they would have no alternative but to announce fresh programmes including work abstention.
Speakers issued the note of warning from a demonstration in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Saturday (January 25). The Government Employees Forum organized the demonstration.
Leaders of the Government Employees Forum said they would hold a grand rally at Central Shaheed Minar on February 7 next unless they get assurance of receiving dearness allowance by January 31.
Speakers at the demonstration demanded of formation of a pay commission to announce the anti-discriminatory 9th Pay Scale as early as possible. Besides, the speakers called for continuation of annual salary hike of those employees who have reached at the last stage of their Pay Scale.
The speakers said the interim government has formed a committee for the payment of dearness allowance after their long seven years of movement to press home an anti-discriminatory pay scale. It created great hopes and aspirations among them. But, some so-called civil society members have indulged in conspiracy against it as they think that the salary hike for the government employees will lead to multifarious problems in the country. Instead of taking the sufferings of lower grade of employees into account, the civil society members have started comparing their dearness allowance with the allowances offered to deputy secretaries.
Grades 11-20 Government Employees Forum's general secretary and coordinator Md Mahmudul Hasan said: "We have learnt from newspaper reports that the dearness allowance will not be given any more. Stricter programmes will be announced if any such step is taken. In necessary, work abstention programme will be announced across the country.
Presided over by Government Employees Forum president Lutfar Rahman, the sit-in programme was attended, among others, by Unnayan Parishad president Ziaul Huq, vice-president Ashfaqul Ashekin, 11-20 Forum vice-president Mohammad Ali, finance secretary Tariqul Islam, assistant secretary Anisur Rahman, Md Shah Alam, Dhaka Division general secretary Ashiqur Rahman, senior vice-president Rabiul Islam Sohag, Dhaka City joint convener Monir Hossain, Kefayet Hossain Sohag and vice-president Fazlur Rahman.
