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Wednesday, 19 February, 2025

Railway Staff Threaten to Suspend Train Services from Jan 28 Over Unmet Demands

Express Report
  23 Jan 2025, 02:10
Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Employees Union declared the work stoppage at a press conference held on Wednesday at the old railway station in Chattogram’s Battali area.

Train drivers and support staff have announced plans to suspend services from January 28 if their demands, including pension and gratuity adjustments based on mileage and the removal of two conditions in appointment letters, are not addressed.

Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Employees Union declared the work stoppage at a press conference held on Wednesday at the old railway station in Chattogram’s Battali area.

In a written statement, Md Mojibur Rahman, the union’s general secretary and chief coordinator of the Railway Running Staff Unity Council, emphasized that the interim government has been given three opportunities to resolve their demands, but no progress has been made.

Two trains ready in Kamalapur station to start journey

“We want a permanent solution,” he added.

"An indefinite strike will begin on the 28th of January unless the finance ministry’s letter and the discriminatory conditions imposed on newly appointed running staff are withdrawn,” the statement read.

Train drivers, assistant drivers, guards, and ticket inspectors are classified as running staff and play a key role in the daily operations of train services.

Mojibur highlighted that railway running staff have been receiving pensions and gratuities based on mileage after retirement for the past 160 years.

“During political or natural crises, it is these workers who have kept the trains running,” he said.

He pointed out that running staff do not receive weekly or public holiday breaks.

On November 3, 2021, the Awami League government reduced the salaries, pensions, and gratuities of railway staff, allegedly to conceal corruption and financial mismanagement, claimed Md Mojibur Rahman.

He further stated that although both Bangladesh Railway and the Ministry of Railways support the staff's demands, the Ministry of Finance has created obstacles, complicating the issue.

It was also alleged that newly recruited running staff, including train drivers and assistant drivers, are denied benefits previously enjoyed by their predecessors.

The union’s written statement highlighted two controversial conditions introduced in appointment letters issued after 2022:

  1. Newly recruited staff are restricted to receiving only the running allowance for duties on moving trains, with no additional allowances provided.
  2. The monthly running allowance cannot exceed their basic salary.

Additionally, pensions and gratuities are now calculated based on the last drawn basic salary, a move the union argues violates existing railway laws and regulations.

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Railway Staff Threaten to Suspend Train Services from Jan 28 Over Unmet Demands

Express Report
  23 Jan 2025, 02:10
Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Employees Union declared the work stoppage at a press conference held on Wednesday at the old railway station in Chattogram’s Battali area.

Train drivers and support staff have announced plans to suspend services from January 28 if their demands, including pension and gratuity adjustments based on mileage and the removal of two conditions in appointment letters, are not addressed.

Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Employees Union declared the work stoppage at a press conference held on Wednesday at the old railway station in Chattogram’s Battali area.

In a written statement, Md Mojibur Rahman, the union’s general secretary and chief coordinator of the Railway Running Staff Unity Council, emphasized that the interim government has been given three opportunities to resolve their demands, but no progress has been made.

Two trains ready in Kamalapur station to start journey

“We want a permanent solution,” he added.

"An indefinite strike will begin on the 28th of January unless the finance ministry’s letter and the discriminatory conditions imposed on newly appointed running staff are withdrawn,” the statement read.

Train drivers, assistant drivers, guards, and ticket inspectors are classified as running staff and play a key role in the daily operations of train services.

Mojibur highlighted that railway running staff have been receiving pensions and gratuities based on mileage after retirement for the past 160 years.

“During political or natural crises, it is these workers who have kept the trains running,” he said.

He pointed out that running staff do not receive weekly or public holiday breaks.

On November 3, 2021, the Awami League government reduced the salaries, pensions, and gratuities of railway staff, allegedly to conceal corruption and financial mismanagement, claimed Md Mojibur Rahman.

He further stated that although both Bangladesh Railway and the Ministry of Railways support the staff's demands, the Ministry of Finance has created obstacles, complicating the issue.

It was also alleged that newly recruited running staff, including train drivers and assistant drivers, are denied benefits previously enjoyed by their predecessors.

The union’s written statement highlighted two controversial conditions introduced in appointment letters issued after 2022:

  1. Newly recruited staff are restricted to receiving only the running allowance for duties on moving trains, with no additional allowances provided.
  2. The monthly running allowance cannot exceed their basic salary.

Additionally, pensions and gratuities are now calculated based on the last drawn basic salary, a move the union argues violates existing railway laws and regulations.

Comments

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AL Govt Began Military Mobilisation Long Before Protests Turned Violent: UN
Writers, Publishers, and Activists Demand Poet Galib’s Release Within 72 Hours
All Set, No Disruptions Expected: DMP Chief on AL’s Hartal Plan