Teachers Threaten Indefinite Strike Again

Assistant teachers of government primary schools have issued an ultimatum to the caretaker government over three key demands. If all their demands are not met by 29 November, all assistant teachers across the country will go on an indefinite strike from 30 November.

The announcement was made on Friday (21 November) at a press conference held by the ‘Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council’ at the National Press Club. Four of the council’s five conveners were present: Abul Kashem, Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, Khairun Nahar Lipi, and Anwar Ullah. Another convener, M. Mahbubur Rahman, was absent due to illness.

During the press conference, it was stated that on 10 November, the Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Abu Taher M. Masud Rana, and other senior officials held discussions with leaders of the council and the Secretary of the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance. The government had communicated the decisions through a press release. Based on these discussions, if no visible progress is made on the three demands, a full-day strike will continue from 30 November until the demands are met.

The teacher leaders also demanded state medical treatment for those injured in the police attack on 8 November and called for state compensation and full pension for the family of the late teacher Fatema Akter.

The three demands of the assistant teachers are: salary determination at the tenth grade, resolution of promotion issues at 10 and 16 years of service, and 100 percent departmental promotion.

Khaborwala/SS