PM Hasina slates teachers, students for agitations against pay scale, Metrorail

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has slammed university teachers for protesting the Eighth Pay Scale.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 9 Jan 2016, 06:47 PM
Updated : 9 Jan 2016, 07:45 PM

She also questioned the protest by students of Dhaka University against the Metrorail route.

Hasina says the teachers are "lowering themselves by comparing themselves with others", while the students "do not have a proper idea of the Metrorail project".

The teachers of public universities are saying their status has been lowered through the new pay scale.

A committee was formed to review their demands but the gazette for the new pay scale did not reflect any of their demands, they say.

They have been wearing black badges during classes since Jan 3 protesting the pay scale. They have also threatened to go on strike from Monday.

During the meeting of Awami League's working committee on Saturday, Prime Minister Hasina, referring to the teachers, said, "If you bring up a comparison that has never occurred, you will be lowering your own status."

She said her Awami League government raised salaries twice after it came to power in 2009.

"I don't understand why some groups are still not satisfied," she said.

"There are small groups everywhere now," an angry Hasina said.

Pro-Awami League teachers are leading the protests against the pay scale.

The prime minister urged everyone to follow the rules of their organisations. "There has to be discipline in everything."

About the teachers' protests, she also said, "People are satisfied with little in times of hunger. When hunger is gone and they get affluent, things like prestige, justice, honour and deputation come to their minds." 

"I think we have raised the salaries a little too much. That's why there’s now a tug-of-war for prestige.”
 
Slating the people who object to the proposed Metro-rail route going through the Dhaka University campus, the prime minister said, "Any change (in plan) will ruin the entire project, and people will suffer because of this."

"A student at the university will be there for three or four years, but the people's sufferings will remain. Why would you want them to suffer?" she asked.

On Thursday, some teachers of the university joined students demonstrating under the banner 'Change Metrorail Route, Save Dhaka University'.

Hasina said the demonstration aimed at hindering development.

She wondered why the protest against the Metrorail took place "suddenly after so many years of the planning".

She also said that the development partners will withdraw the funds for the project if it is hampered in any way.

"Please do not hamper our development" she said.

The students say that the Metrorail route will have a detrimental effect on the departments of genetic engineering, computer science, microbiology and the Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences.

The setting for the sculpture called 'Raju Bhaskarja' will be affected, they fear.

They also say that the Metrorail will disturb study at the central library and at the science faculty library.

Hasina argued that the sound made by Metrorail trains will be dampened using modern technology.

"They (protesters) don't know much about it," she said.

Twenty-four pairs of trains will run to and from Uttara and Motijheel via Mirpur and Farmgate. They will carry 60,000 passengers an hour, and will arrive at the stations every four minutes.

According to project officials, a train will take less than 40 minutes to get to Motijheel from Uttara.

There will be 16 stations – Uttara North, Central and South, Pallabi, Mirpur-11, Mirpur-10, Kaziparha, Taltala, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Sonargaon, National Museum, Doyel Chattar, Bangabandhu National Stadium and Bangladesh Bank.