2024-07-14 00:51:22
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader held a meeting with the agitating teacher leaders demanding cancellation of the universal pension scheme.
The meeting started at the political office of the Awami League president in Dhanmondi of the capital on Saturday (July 13). The meeting ended at half past noon.
Among the Awami League leaders, besides Obaidul Quader, the party’s joint general secretary Mahbub ul Alam Hanif, AFM Bahauddin Nashim, organizing secretary Mirza Azam, state minister for education Samsunnahar Champa were present. General Secretary of Dhaka University Teachers Association Professor Zeenat Huda, Joint General Secretary Professor Abdur Rahim and others were in the delegation of 10 members of teachers led by Secretary General of University Teachers Federation Nizamul Haque Bhuiya.
Earlier, on July 4, there was supposed to be a meeting of teacher leaders with Obaidul Quader. But, in the end, the meeting was postponed.
About the postponement of the meeting, the Secretary General of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association Professor Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan said, ‘We were supposed to have a meeting with Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury. But the meeting was postponed due to Obaidul Quader’s engagement in state work. But soon Obaidul Quader will sit with us. The total strike will continue until the demands are met.’
Incidentally, the Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association Federation held a press conference on May 20 to demand the withdrawal of the ‘discriminatory notification’ related to the universal pension scheme and the continuation of the previous pension scheme. In continuation of this, on May 26 at 11:30 a.m., teachers formed a human chain in 35 public universities across the country, including Dhaka University. After this, a half-day strike was observed across the country for two hours on May 28 and three days on June 25-27. Later, a complete strike was observed on June 30 and the total strike started from July 1.