The metro rail operation, announced to resume Saturday next week by the new interim government at its first advisory council meeting, is now unlikely to restart as striking employees continued their work stoppage until Wednesday, sources said.
"It is now certain the MRT [Mass Rapid Transit Line 6] operation cannot be resumed Saturday next week due to not having enough trial time," said an insider.
To resume operations after a month-long suspension, at least five working days of trial are needed, which is now impossible due to the strike, the source told The Financial Express on condition of anonymity.
Sources said aggrieved employees of grades 10 to 20 of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) remained adamant in their six-point demand till Wednesday, despite assurances from higher authorities to meet five of their points.
Both the company's managing director and the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) secretary met with the employees on Monday and Tuesday but failed to persuade them.
Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, whose contract as RTHD secretary was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, told the FE on Wednesday morning that fulfilling the main demand to upgrade the salary scale of grades 10 to 20 requires approval from the DMTCL board.
Noting that convening a board meeting is now challenging, he said he had sought names from relevant agencies as many board positions, including those in the Prime Minister's Office, are vacant.
The DMTCL managing director did not respond to phone calls on Wednesday.
The FE spoke to some protesters who also said that they would not return to work without approval of their salary adjustments and service rules.
"For the last four years, we have been promised a new pay scale but have seen no results," said section engineer Shahadat Hossain.
He also alleged that DMTCL appointment letters only specified the respective grades of employees, without detailing their salaries.
Meanwhile, another source said MRT 6 project officials and employees had also begun striking, demanding assurances about their absorption into the company when the project ends next year.
DMTCL, formed in 2013, began recruiting staff in 2019. The company has more than 700 employees who have undergone training at home and abroad to operate and maintain the city's first metro rail on the Uttara-Motijheel corridor.
Despite a severe shortage of manpower, more than 100 recruited employees, including engineers, station operators and train drivers, have already left the company.
Sources said the departures were due to a lack of attractive salaries, benefits and promotional opportunities, as outlined in the DMTCL Act, with better jobs available elsewhere despite the valuable training received.
According to DMTCL, more than 700 employees in grades 1 to 9 earn salaries 2.3 times higher than the government scale, while other grades earn 2.0 times the government scale.
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