Prottoy pension scheme: Public university teachers’ strike enters day 3

The indefinite strike by teachers and employees of public universities continues for the third consecutive day today, demanding their exclusion from the ‘Prottoy’ pension scheme.

The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association called for a boycott of classes, examinations, and administrative work starting Monday, protesting the implementation of Prottoy, a new pension scheme introduced by the National Pension Authority. The announcement was made during a press conference on Dhaka University campus.

The Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) also issued a notice to the university’s teachers.

As a result, all classes and exams, including regular, evening, professional, online, and offline programs, have been suspended at public universities nationwide. This includes institutions such as Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Jagannath University, Jahangirnagar University, and Khulna University.

In addition to academic activities, administrative offices, including chairman offices, hall provost offices, research centers, institutes, the central library, dean offices, computer labs, and seminar rooms, remain closed.

Under the banner of Officers-Employees Oikya Parishad, DU officers and employees have called for a strike and protest program, demanding the cancellation of what they called a “discriminatory” notification related to the Universal Pension Scheme. Employees and officers of other public universities have also joined the strike.

The Universal Pension Scheme, which was introduced on August 17, 2023, includes four schemes: Prabash, Pragati, Surokkha, and Samata. The Prottoy scheme was later introduced specifically for officers and employees of all autonomous and state-owned organizations.