Dhaka: Public University teachers on Thursday gave the government a fresh deadline of 23 February to meet their demand for removing ‘discriminations’ in the grading system in the eighth national pay scale.

The decision came from a meeting of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) held at Dhaka University Teachers’ Club with its president Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed in the chair.

Briefing reporters, FBUTA general secretary Prof ASM Maksud Kamal said they were informed that the government was taking a decision over the issue and now expect their demands will be met soon.

‘If the government fails to take any decision over the issue, we’ll go for a tougher movement,’ Maksud added.

Eight days after enforcing it to press for their demands, public university teachers on 19 January postponed their indefinite strike until 3 February, following the assurance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

At a meeting with the public university teachers at Ganobhaban on 18 January, the premier assured them of looking into their demands.  

The public university teachers had been on protests since the 8th National Pay Scale was announced on 14 May 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.