Corruption involving OT bill payment rampant in Biman

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines, a loss-incurring state-owned enterprise, spent Tk 1.30 billion on overtime (OT) bill payment in three and a half years since the fiscal year 2012 and a large part of the amount was mere wastage, according to sources.
The national flag carrier spends around Tk 350 million in every fiscal on OT allowances.
Many of its employees have been drawing payments without performing any OT duty.  Such irregularities have been going on due to inadequate monitoring and supervision, company insiders have alleged.
Some Biman employees even draw their monthly OT allowances equivalent to three times the amount paid as their basic salaries, relevant Biman statistics showed.
Many top Biman officials and engineers are also receiving OT after affiliating themselves with different registered labour unions of the Biman although they are not entitled to enjoy the benefit in question, they added.
Contractual staffs of Biman, who have been appointed on daily basis, are also drawing OT payments due to lack of necessary supervision, sources alleged.
The national flag-carrier spent over Tk 336.36 million as OT payments to its permanent and contractual staffs during FY 2012, Tk 350.33 million during FY 2013, Tk 345.29 million during FY 2014 and Tk 267.54 million during first eight months of the current FY 2015.
When contacted, a top Biman official, who did not want to be quoted, said corruption in the system of OT assessment and payments is rampant.
A Biman employee, whose basic salary for February 2015 was Tk 17,630, realised Tk 70,300 in total including OT payment, said a top Biman official citing an instance.
If proper monitoring and supervision could be ensured, the OT payments of Biman to its employees could be less than half of the current amount, said the official.
He said the automated access control systems, a digital management mechanism to provide accurate picture of attendance of Biman employees, is not working for long, leading to mounting wastages of Biman's money.
The automated system contains close-circuit television (CCTV) camera for monitoring.
But the system, which requires employees to register their finger prints on arrival and at the time of departure, was operational for a brief period after its installation in April 2013 as part of the Biman restructuring.
Many Biman employees are charging OT payments without working and even show themselves on duty while staying in houses, taking the benefit of non-operational automated access control systems.
Biman officials alleged that a section of unruly employees, backed by different trade unions, have de-activated the automated access control systems 'intentionally' to avoid duties and  make fake claim  of OT allowances.
When asked about inaction of Biman's management over the issue, another top official alleged that the trade unions have been opposing measures taken by the Biman management.
Trade unions in Biman are very 'powerful' and they flex their muscle very often to realise their undue benefits, he said.
He said immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Biman Kevin John Steele had to write to the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism in August 2013 to declare Biman's services 'essential' with a view to keeping it outside the purview of trade unionism.
Mr Kevin also had written to the Chairman of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in July 2013 seeking its help in investigating different allegations and checking bank accounts of the individuals in question.
But all these attempts had fallen through following resistance from the trade unions, Biman officials alleged.
Sources said the Biman is burdened with as many as eight trade unions, which have been acting as 'pressure groups' in the national airlines, sources alleged.
The trade unions include Bangladesh Airlines Pilots' Association (BAPA), Flight Engineers & Navigators Association (FENA), Bangladesh Biman Flying Services Association of Cabin Crew (BBFSACC), Society of Aircraft Engineers of Biman (SAEB), Biman Sramik League, Bangladesh Biman Employees Union, Bangladesh Biman Sramik Union, Biman Sramik Dal. All these are registered with the Department of Labour.
When contacted, a leader of Biman's Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) Md Abul Kalam admitted that the automated access control system had been kept 'inoperative' temporarily to press home 'a lot' of their demands.
Mr Kalam could not elaborate 'many' demands but said the services of the casual workers of Biman were not being regularised for the past 27 years.
The CBA has been demanding appointment of these casual workers as permanent among many other issues, he added.
Another CBA official of Biman Mohammad Abdul Bari Lablu, however, claimed that the automated system was not working due to 'technical fault'.
mazizur.rahman@outlook.com