Railway running staff call off strike

Staff Reporter Published: 29 January 2025, 08:45 AM | Updated: 29 January 2025, 10:31 AM
Railway running staff call off strike
A train stuck at Kamalapur Railway Station on Tuesday, causing service disruptions.—Jago News photo

The running staff of Bangladesh Railway, who began their pre-announced work abstention on Tuesday due to unresolved issues regarding the inclusion of their running allowance in their basic salary for pension and gratuity benefits, withdrew their strike early Wednesday.

The decision followed a meeting on Tuesday night between Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Railways, and labor leaders, including Hasnat Abdullah, the convener of the anti-discrimination student movement, and Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, coordinator of Jatiyatabadi Shramik Dal.

After the meeting, at around 2:30 am, Md Mojibur Rahman, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Employees Union, briefed the press, stating, "The adviser has assured us that our issues will be resolved by Wednesday. We do not want to cause public inconvenience, and we apologise for any trouble caused. From now on, we are calling off the strike and withdrawing the work stoppage."

Earlier, at 2:15 am, Hasnat Abdullah posted on Facebook announcing the withdrawal of the work stoppage. He wrote, "Rail officials and employees have called off the strike. Along with the labour leaders, we met with the railway adviser to resolve the issues faced by the railway officials and employees."