Shawdesh Desk:

Officials of 25 cadres under the Bangladesh Civil Service on Tuesday observed a one-hour work abstention across the country demanding elimination of discrimination among the cadre services.

Also protesting at the public administration reform commission’s planned proposals they vowed to continue their movement until their demands would be met.

Under the banner of Inter-Cadre Council to Eliminate Discrimination, the officials from all BCS cadres except administration observed the pre-scheduled work abstention between 11:00am and 12:00pm on Tuesday.

The reform commission chief, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, on December 17 said that the commission would recommend individual service-oriented commissions like the Judicial Service Commission, for the health and education sectors and 50 per cent of the promotions to the position of deputy secretary be reserved for officials from the administration cadre and the rest would be filled from the 25 other cadres.

Protesting at these, the council in a press release on December 21 said that BCS cadres other than administration considered the reform commission’s planned proposal ‘discriminatory’ and part of ‘conspiracy’.

Citing that the senior service pool must not be confined to any specific cadre, the release said, ‘The commission’s recommendations, if implemented, will create serious chaos in the civil services.’

Following a pre-plan, officials of different cadres were seen coming outside of their offices at different offices, including Shikkha Bhaban, in the secretariat area and Department of Agricultural Extension in Farmgate area.

Many officials of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education under the education ministry were seen standing on the Shikkha Bhaban premises stopping work during the period.

SM Saiful Islam, assistant director of the department, said, ‘we cannot accept this discrimination.’

In a press release, the council convener Muhammad Mofizur Rahman, said that officials of 25 cadres observed the work abstention for an hour across the country on Tuesday.

The council also decided to organise human-chain programme in front of the members’ respective job stations from 11:00am to 12:00pm on December 26 and hold a rally in Dhaka on January 4.