Dhaka, Bangladesh Global: Today's scheduled meeting of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader with the leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association over pension was postponed.
Prof Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) and secretary general to Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association (FBUTA), said the meeting was scheduled to be held in the morning, but it was not held at the last moment.
The date of the meeting will be announced later, he added.
"Obaidul Quader, however, will hold the meeting with us very soon," he again said.
The FBUTA leaders attended a discussion among themselves on Wednesday night over the meeting with the government.
Public university teachers across the country are observing the work abstention demanding reinstating previous pension facilities in place of the Universal Pension Scheme. This has halted the academic activities at 55 public universities.
Earlier, the protesting teachers have rejected the clarification given by the Finance Ministry on the 'Prottoy Scheme' of universal pension.
When asked about the teachers' stance, Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Tuesday described the ongoing movement as 'irrational,' without detailing his statement further.
Meanwhile, the pension authority explained its stance regarding the application of the Prottoy scheme to university teachers.
As per the explanation, teachers, officers, and employees who have been recruited until 30 June 2024 will enjoy the conventional pension system, while the prottoy scheme will only be applicable to new recruits.
The teachers have recently been included in the Prottoy scheme of the universal pension scheme, disentitling them to their conventional pension system. In protest, they waged an indefinite work abstention programme since July 1, the day that marked the formal operation of the Prottoy scheme.
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