Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has been paralyzed for two consecutive days as around 2,500 daily wage-based workers and employees went on strike, demanding a pay rise. The protest has severely disrupted waste collection in the city, which is known for its cleanliness.
On Tuesday, the agitating workers locked the main gate of the city corporation building from noon to evening. They continued their protest throughout Wednesday, blocking the entrance and preventing senior officials and service seekers from entering. In the morning, they also disconnected the building’s electricity, halting all official activities. Most of the protesters belong to the cleaning department.
Due to the blockade, senior officials including Chief Executive Officer Rezaul Karim, Acting Chief Engineer Ahmad Al-Moin, Chief Revenue Officer Abu Saleh Md Nur-E-Sayed, Chief Cleaning Officer Sheikh Md Mamun, and Chief Health Officer Dr FAM Anjuman Ara Begum were unable to enter the building. As a result, administrative work came to a complete stop, causing immense suffering to the public.
According to the protesters, RCC employs about 2,500 temporary workers across various departments, the majority being cleaners. Although their official daily wage is Tk600, they are currently receiving only Tk484. Moreover, they are not entitled to any salary or allowance if they miss work for a day.
Workers said that in January this year, the government issued a circular increasing the wages of daily wage-based employees—Tk750 for skilled workers and Tk700 for unskilled ones. However, RCC has not implemented this yet.
During the sit-in, speakers demanded a minimum monthly salary of Tk22,500 for all workers, payment by the third day of each month, and the introduction of festival allowances. They also demanded that no worker be dismissed without proper investigation, that all jobs be made permanent, and that workers receive Tk5 lakh upon retirement.
Ismail Hossain, a driver from the transport section, said that following the government circular, the RCC Administrator and the Divisional Commissioner formed a committee led by the RCC Secretary to review wages. ‘But the committee hasn’t held any meeting in the past three months, and wages remain unchanged,’ he said.
Cleaner van driver Shafiqul Islam said he was injured by a syringe while collecting waste four months ago and had to undergo treatment for three months. ‘The city corporation didn’t pay my medical expenses, and I lost my wages for that period,’ he said.
RCC Chief Executive Officer Rezaul Karim stated that the workers’ demands are under review but described some of them as ‘illegal’. He added that the administration is investigating who is leading the movement and whether any external instigation is involved.
