All work and low pay: 225 assistant station masters skip joining railway

• Low pay and lack of facilities causing a mass no-show 
• Many of the recruitees have joined other low-level public jobs 
• They say it takes 20-22 years to get promoted to a station master 
• Review of 1962 pay scale being called for by station masters 
• Railways, finance ministry collaborating for a satisfactory outcome

Some 225 individuals appointed to the position of Assistant Station Master (ASM) in the Bangladesh Railways did not show up for work, despite there has been an intense competition for government jobs now in the country. 

The reason behind this mass no-show is being attributed to a lack of adequate facilities, low pay and a perceived indifference to pay grade reforms.

Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman, central committee president of the Bangladesh Railway Station-Master and Employees Union, said the ASM position carries a lot of responsibility with no holiday, no pay for mileage or overtime benefits. 

"Promotion takes time as the pay structure is not being reformed for years either," he told The Business Standard.

This lack of incentives has led to many of the newly appointed ASM opting for even lower-grade government jobs instead. As a result, the long-standing manpower crisis in the railways has not been resolved.

TBS spoke to a number of individuals who were recently appointed to the ASM position but did not join the job. 

One of them, a graduate and postgraduate from Jagannath University, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "I found the job benefits are paltry if the stressful duty is considered. Besides, there are hardly any holidays. Even if leave is taken for urgent needs, the station cannot be left until the substitute arrives."

"I quit the railways after working as a locomotive master for only two months thanks to BR's internal corruption. You must grease the palm just to open – regardless if it is a leave, or transfer, or promotion," he claimed. 

Prior to the recruitment in August 2021, there were 594 full-time and 72 temporary staff for 1,640 station master positions in the railways. The remaining 1,046 posts had been vacant.

Subsequently, 587 individuals were finally appointed to the ASM position, however, only 362 of them took up the job. The remaining 225 did not join their posts, with many said to be preparing for other government exams. 

This has led to a number of railway departments questioning the permanence of the new recruits.

As the manpower crisis in the Bangladesh Railways continues to be a major concern, the authorities had to close 115 of the total 484 stations across the country over the years. 

The salary structure for the position of Railway Station Master is also a point of contention. The basic salary starts at the 15th grade and it takes 20 to 22 years to progress from an assistant station master to a station master. 

The duties of the position are demanding, with a minimum of 12-16 hours of work per day, standby duty in case of emergency, and working both morning and night shifts. Despite this, there are no additional facilities provided.

Besides, the delay in pay structure reforms has also contributed to the problem, with many station masters calling for a review of the revised pay scale (RPS) announced in 1962. 

The revised pay scale had placed station masters at a lower grade than their counterparts in other government departments, leading to a disparity in salary. Despite a legal battle spanning over decades, there are still allegations of laziness in its implementation.

Mohammad Qamrul Ahsan, director general of Bangladesh Railways, said that the new recruitment notification detailed the advantages and duties of the position, but that many people opted not to join the post because they had already secured better jobs. 

He told The Business Standard that the process to fill the vacancies would commence soon. 

About the salary discrepancy, he stated that the railways and finance ministry were collaborating and there would be a satisfactory outcome soon.