The ongoing strike by university teachers protesting the inclusion of new recruits in the 'Pratyay' pension scheme has been criticised as "irrational" by Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.
"The strike by university teachers over the pension scheme is irrational," he said today (2 July) during a briefing with reporters after a meeting with Yingming Yang, vice president (South, Central & West Asia) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the secretariat.
He, however, declined to make detailed comments on the issue.
The indefinite strike, which began on Monday (1 July), has seen teachers at public universities, including Dhaka University, suspend all academic activities.
The teachers are demanding the withdrawal of the 'Pratyay' pension scheme and have stated that they will not return to classes until their demands are met.
"We will continue our indefinite strike and will not return to classes until our demands are met," said a representative of the university teachers' association.
Thirty-five public universities across the country are united in opposing this scheme.
The government introduced the Prottoy scheme on 13 March for employees who join public universities and other organisations under the scheme from 1 July 2024 onwards.
Employees who joined before this date will continue to receive pension benefits as before.
