TA Panna, Roving Correspondent, Ishurdi

The train controllers have started an indefinite strike demanding the cancellation of the office orders issued by the Ministry of Finance on 24/07/2022 and 04/09/2024 and the restoration of all previous allowances and financial benefits.

This strike was announced by all controllers of the western railways, including Pakshi, and the five control offices of the eastern region in a rally organized in front of the Railway Pakshi Divisional Control Office on Wednesday morning.

The rally was chaired by DTNL Abdul Hamid and other DTNLs, CTNLs and TNLs. The speakers complained that recently the Supreme Court ordered the payment of 4 advance increments in favor of the controllers of Bangladesh Railway. But the Ministry of Finance ignored that order and announced the cessation of the payment of 4 advance increments.

At the same time, it was also ordered to return the money of the increments paid in favor of the controllers. For these reasons, all the train controllers of Bangladesh Railway recently announced a strike several times. Considering the situation at that time, the senior officials of the Railway withdrew the strike twice in a row, promising to fulfill their demands and set a time limit until December 3.

Meanwhile, since the demands were not fulfilled even within the time limit set for the second time, they were forced to go on strike. The speakers complained that DTNL, CTNL and TNL have to perform their duties 24 hours a day, including storms, national days and even Eid days.

However, recently, it has been seen that some retired officials of various government departments and LPRA officials are being paid crores of rupees on the pretext of discrimination in their service lives. In this, all those participating in the strike are clearly being discriminated against. All DTNL, CTNL and TNL have announced that if the strike causes disruption in train services and inconvenience to passengers, the concerned authorities will have to bear the responsibility. Earlier, a peaceful rally was taken out at the Pakshi office premises by the train controllers participating in the strike. Meanwhile, since the strike has started, train services have been disrupted in all regions of the western and eastern regions of the railway, including the Pakshi division, causing inconvenience to passengers. Regarding the demands and strike of all train controllers of the western and eastern regions of the railway, including the Pakshi divisional train control office, Railway Pakshi Divisional Manager Shah Sufi Nurmohammed told reporters that the railway is operated through the Train Control Office. The movement of all trains is controlled by the DTNL, CTNL and TNL officers in charge of the control office.

Their duties are very difficult. Considering this, the then government decided to give them three additional increments in salary in 1968. Later, it was increased to four. After increasing to four, while the increment was ongoing, when the audit objection came in 2001, it was said that the permission of the Ministry of Finance was not taken. But in 1968, the railway was a railway. It was managed by the board. At that time, the Railway Board had a power that the Ministry of Finance had. In view of which, when the controllers filed a case, the Labor Board and the High Court ruled in favor of the controllers.

After the verdict, the dues that had been stopped since 2001 were started to be paid again from 2014. Problems arose when the IBUS system was introduced in 2020. Due to the strike, trains are being operated temporarily by supporting staff.

However, if it is a long-term one, it will not be possible to keep the train movement normal. If the controllers find a logical solution to this problem, it will be possible to maintain smooth train movement.