Railway running staff leaders call off strike after assurance from Adviser Fouzul

Leaders of the protesting railway running staff have called off their indefinite strike after the government agreed to fulfil their demands.

Md Mojibur Rahman, general secretary of Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Union, announced the strike withdrawal in a press conference at around 2:50am on Wednesday (29 January) after a meeting with Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan at the latter's residence.

"The adviser told us that our problem will be solved by tomorrow [Wednesday]. We do not want public suffering. We express our regret. We are calling off the strike from now on," Mojibur said.

"We have withdrawn the strike. I want to tell the workers through the media. The advisor said we will get what we have been getting before," he added.

Anti-discrimination Students Movement Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah, Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal leader Shimul Biswas, senior officials of the Railway Ministry, and others were also present at the meeting.

Railway services were suspended nationwide since Tuesday (28 January)  morning as the running staff launched their indefinite strike demanding pension and gratuity with their mileage allowance.

The strike caused immense suffering for train passengers. The situation further worsened as bus and other road transportation service providers hiked fares to exorbitant rates amid increased demands due to the lack of train services. 

Passengers who had booked tickets in advance and were unaware of the strike gathered at the stations across the country from early morning, with many returning after waiting for hours.

The strike also severely disrupted supply chains, particularly along key routes from Chattogram port.

What was the strike about

Bangladesh Railway has been under pressure for years as it has not received approval for essential allowances for running staff, including locomasters and guards, which were withheld by the Finance Division in 2022. 

Despite ongoing efforts, the issue remains unresolved, leading to multiple strikes and disruptions in rail services. Staff, including locomasters, assistant locomasters and sub-locomasters, typically work 15 to 18 hours a day, with the allowances forming part of their salary, said Mojibur Rahman told The Business Standard on Monday (26 January) evening.

Since the cancellation of this benefit in January 2022, the Railway Running Staff Unity Council has continued protesting, but their demands remain unmet, he added.

After several unsuccessful attempts, the director general of Bangladesh Railway wrote to the railway ministry on 30 December 2024, urging action on the running staff's demands. 

The ministry forwarded the letter to the finance ministry the same day, highlighting the point that while mileage entitlements were granted to carriage attendants in November 2021, long-standing benefits for running staff, including locomasters and guards, were revoked or reduced. 

The letter, a copy of which was seen by TBS, emphasised that running allowances, previously part of the salary for pension and gratuity calculations, were eliminated by the finance ministry's decision in November 2021, with no resolution despite repeated attempts.

This has led to widespread discontent among field-level running employees of Bangladesh Railway, who have gone on strike several times. Although high-level meetings were held, no decisions were reached, causing intense dissatisfaction. As a result, the running employees announced an indefinite strike starting 28 June 2023.

A meeting with all stakeholders was held on 29 August 2023. At its conclusion, the Cabinet Secretary decided that the running allowance, pension and additional benefits received by the Railway Running Staff under the Railway Establishment Rules are valid according to the law and will continue as before, according to sources. 

Despite the unanimous decision, no notification has been issued by the finance ministry, leading to severe disappointment, anger and dissatisfaction among the running staff. 

This has resulted in the dismissal of many newly recruited assistant locomasters Grade-2 employees and created a serious crisis in train operations. Currently, there is a significant shortage of running staff in the railway, with approximately 50% of positions vacant.

Due to the unresolved issue of mileage discrimination, newly appointed running staff went on strike from 1 December 2024, causing severe disruptions to train services. 

After discussions, it was agreed that the long-standing complications related to pension and mileage would be resolved by 31 December 2024, leading the running staff to suspend their strike till the latest strike,