Staff Reporter:
The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council observed work abstention on Sunday protesting the alleged biased and discriminatory temporary suspensions imposed by the administration cadre and de-manding the resolution of inter-cadre inequalities.
Officials from 25 different civil service cadres staged demonstrations at their respective offices across the country.
As part of the programme, officials wore black badges and held banners in front of their offices from 10:30 am to 11:30 am, said Mohammad Omar Faruq Dewan, Coordinator of Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council.
Following the demonstration, they briefed journalists on their demands individually or in joint press conferences with multiple cadres.
At the district and divisional levels, similar demonstrations and media briefings were held in front of hospitals, while emergency services, including hospital emergency departments, remained operational and outside the purview of the work stoppage.
The council warned that if the “biased” order was not withdrawn within a week, they would announce stricter programs.
Recently, 12 officers from 25 different cadres were suspended over social media posts, which the council deemed a “trivial matter.”
However, the council alleged that members of the administration cadre engaged in similar activities without facing any consequences.
The organization accused the administration cadre of exploiting discriminatory state mechanisms to ob-struct public administration reforms and suppress the legitimate demands of the 25 cadres.
The protesting officials have long been advocating for the establishment of ministry-based professional divisions, the abolition of the DS pool quota, and equal status for all cadres within the civil service.
