In a bold display of worker solidarity, large-scale demonstrations swept through Dhaka on Friday, with protesters converging near Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s Jamuna House to demand the urgent rollout of Bangladesh’s 9th National Pay Scale. What started as a peaceful assembly at Shahbagh snowballed into heightened security alerts and clashes.
Eyewitnesses described how crowds, undeterred by police barriers, attempted a march to the adviser’s residence. Law enforcement, tasked with maintaining order, resorted to water cannons and stun grenades after repeated warnings went unheeded. The air filled with protest chants echoing the workers’ cries for fair compensation in an era of inflation.
Personal testimonies painted a vivid picture of hardship. A woman protester clarified, ‘We’re here only for salary revisions—nothing more.’ Another, held in custody, lamented his role as the family’s only earner, unable to cope with escalating expenses on outdated wages.
The unrest builds on prior escalations. Just last December, Secretariat staff laid siege to Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed’s fourth-floor office, led by Badiul Kabir. They demanded gazette approvals for long-pending benefits, vowing not to leave without commitments.
Earlier threats loomed large: A December 3 memorandum from union secretary Nizamuddin Ahmed warned of escalated protests starting January 10 absent official action. With Yunus at the helm post-political upheaval, these events highlight simmering tensions in Bangladesh’s bureaucracy, where employee morale hangs in the balance amid economic challenges and governance reforms.