Due to unresolved complications regarding the addition of running allowances to basic salaries for pension and gratuity benefits, railway running staff are set to go on strike. As a result, train operations across the country may come to a halt from midnight on Monday.
The program is being organized by the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Association. Regarding the matter, the Railway Ministry stated that discussions with the running staff are ongoing.
According to reliable sources within the railway department, as per regulations, a running staff member (driver, assistant driver, guard, ticket checker) is entitled to a rest period of 12 hours upon returning to their headquarters after duty and 8 hours at an outer station.
If, for the railway's needs, a running staff member is engaged during their rest period, they are provided additional allowances, known in the railway as "mileage" benefits.
On November 3, 2021, the Ministry of Finance issued a letter to the Ministry of Railways limiting mileage benefits. It stated that the previously unlimited mileage benefit should be capped at a maximum equivalent to 30 working days.
Additionally, the inclusion of allowances received with the basic salary for pensions and gratuities was excluded for running staff as civilian employees. This decision sparked dissatisfaction among the running staff.
For over three years, running staff have been campaigning to reinstate their mileage benefits. They have staged several programs, including refraining from extra work. However, at various times, they withdrew their protests based on assurances from former railway directors-general, secretaries, and ministers.
When the Ministry of Railways again sought clarification from the Ministry of Finance, the Finance Ministry responded on January 23, stating:
“The provision outlined in Article (b) of the letter issued by the Finance Division on August 21, 2022, remains unchanged, while Article (a) has been revised as follows:
For performing duties on a moving train, running staff will be entitled to a running allowance instead of travel or daily allowances as per the provisions of the Railway Establishment Code. No other allowances will be payable for duties performed on moving trains, and the monthly running allowance must not exceed the basic salary.”
After this clarification, running staff were further agitated. They stated, "According to government regulations, we will work no more than 8 hours. We work for money—if we are not paid for working beyond 8 hours, why should we work?"
The Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Association highlighted that the provision of adding 75% of mileage benefits to the basic salary for post-retirement pensions had been in practice for nearly 160 years.
However, in 2020, by violating the railway's codified rules, mileage, which had historically been part of the salary head, was shifted to the TA (Travel Allowance) head, leading to complications. Subsequently, on November 3, 2021, the Finance Division objected to the inclusion of mileage in pensions and gratuities for railway running staff.
The association also stated that after a letter from the Finance Ministry on April 4, 2022, the running staff went on strike on April 10, halting train operations nationwide.
The Finance Ministry later withdrew the letter on April 13. The then Railway Minister assured the media at Dhaka Railway Station that the issue would be resolved promptly. Following this, on June 11, 2023, the then Director General of Railways issued clear instructions to include mileage in pensions and gratuities for running staff.
However, on June 18, 2023, the Finance Ministry raised objections again, leading to intense frustration and dissatisfaction among the running staff.
When asked about the matter, the General Secretary of the association, Md. Mojibur Rahman, stated, "We will stop operating trains from midnight, i.e., at 12:01 AM on January 28. To call off this program, the Finance Ministry must issue a clarification letter. A letter from the Railway Ministry will not suffice. This is not a new issue—it has been in practice for 160 years. How can the government suddenly end a regulation followed for 160 years? No railway staff can accept this. We have given them time repeatedly, protested repeatedly, and withdrawn our protests repeatedly. But this time, there is no option left."
He added, "We are supposed to have 2,036 running staff. However, only 1,036 staff members are currently in position. To maintain the train schedule, one person has to do the job of two. Naturally, our mileage allowance will be higher. But this extra money comes with extra effort. From December 1 to December 9, when we worked strictly within legal limits, train schedules were entirely disrupted. Many trains were even canceled because one person could only perform one duty."
Regarding the planned strike, Mojibur Rahman said, "The railway officials called us, and on December 9, we suspended our program. They asked for 10 days, and I gave them until December 31. But they failed to deliver any solution. On January 1, we announced that from January 28, we would no longer operate trains."
When contacted on Sunday afternoon (January 26), the Railway Secretary, Md. Fahimul Islam, stated, "We are in discussions with them. We do not want them to proceed with their protest."