January 28, 2025
DHAKA – Train drivers and their support staff began a nationwide indefinite work abstention from early today for special allowance after retirement and other demands.
A meeting between the railway authorities and the leaders of the drivers’ association ended unsuccessfully last night.
After the meeting, Additional Director General Ahmed Mahbub Chowdhury, who led Bangladesh Railway at the meeting, told The Daily Star that the association leaders are “adamant” about their programme and left the meeting midway.
Saidur Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Sramik Karmachari Union, at 12:02am today said, “Our nationwide indefinite work abstention has begun since there was no fruitful negotiation with the authorities. All types of trains, including freight and oil tankers, will be under the purview of the work abstention.”
He said no train would begin a journey after midnight, but those on their way to destinations would not be affected by the strike.
Bangladesh Railway operates more than 350 passenger trains, including over 100 intercity trains, every day. Besides, it operates over three dozen freight trains daily.
Due to manpower shortage, train divers and their assistants (locomasters, assistant locomasters), guards, and travelling ticket checkers have traditionally worked beyond their duty hours and received extra pay for that.
They also received pension benefits based on the pay for their extra work until 2021.
But in November that year, the Awami League government declined to grant pension benefits based on the extra work.
Following a strike in April 2022, the railways ministry intervened and decided to continue the pension benefits. However, the staffers have long been demanding cancellation of the November 2021 order, saying in a changed situation their benefits could go away again.
In addition, newly-recruited assistant locomasters, who were appointed in 2022, have not been receiving this benefit, as their appointment letters stated they would not receive extra pay during their service or after retirement.
In December last year, the newly recruited locomasters went into work abstention, demanding benefits their predecessors got, while their predecessors stopped taking on additional duties for several days. They also demanded cancellation of the 2021 gazette.
They stopped their protest following an assurance by railway authorities.
The finance ministry on January 23 issued a circular saying the newly-recruited assistant locomasters will get 100 percent “running allowance” instead of 75 percent. The “running allowance” would not exceed their monthly basic salary, it said.
It did not say anything about their post-retirement benefits.
But a day before, the association at a press conference in Chattogram announced the indefinite nationwide strike from today.
Over the last few days, the railway authorities had been in discussion with the association leaders, they but failed to convince them.
The association leaders also boycotted a scheduled meeting with the rail secretary yesterday morning.
A BR team led by ADG Mahbub then held a meeting yesterday evening with the association leaders at the Kamalapur Railway Station’s VIP guest room.
A group led by Saidur joined the meeting.
In the meeting, railway officials said one of their demands regarding newly-recruited assistant locomasters was met, and they were working to meet their other demands.
A railway officials told this paper that the association leaders wanted the promises in writing. “But how can we give them written assurance as the issue lies with the finance ministry? At that point, they left the meeting.”
Last night, the railways ministry issued a public circular asking the railway staffers to postpone their strike as Bangladesh Railway and the railways ministry are working to meet their demands.
It also asked them to continue dialogue and consider passengers suffering.