A meeting of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) will be held this afternoon after a fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the issue of their salary hike. FBUTA secretary general Prof ASM Maksud Kamal said they will take the decision at the meeting to be held around 5pm whether they will continue their strike or attend classes. On Monday, the public university teachers who have been on a movement to press for their four-point demand had a meeting with the Prime Minister at Ganobhaban after Maghrib prayers. Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office invited the teachers to have tea at the Prime Minister’s official residence. On January 11, teachers of the country’s 37 public universities went on an indefinite strike protesting what they said discriminations against them in the 8th national pay scale. The public university teachers have been on protests since the 8th National Pay Scale was announced on May 14 last year, advocating for a four-point demand that includes formation of a commission to introduce an independent pay scale for them. The other demands of the teachers are to remove the gap in salaries and allowances between senior professors and senior secretaries, and between professors and secretaries; upgrading the status of teachers in the warrant of precedence; and the provision of cars and other allowances for teachers similar to provisions given to bureaucrats. — Dhaka, Jan 19 (UNB)
