Officials of 25 cadres stay firm on decision

The officials of 25 professional cadres working in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) observed a full-day strike on Sunday (March 2) against the 'monopoly' dominance and discriminatory policies of the administration cadre. They also warned that they will go on a stricter movement if their demands are not met.

Dr. Muhammad Mofizur Rahman, coordinator of the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council, said that they are mainly vocal about three demands. These are - the elimination of cadre discrimination, equal status of all cadres and withdrawal of the recent dismissal order.

He warned that if the demands are not met within a week, they will go on an all-out program including a standstill.

Why this movement?

Over the past few years, the disparity in power and privileges between the administration cadre of BCS and other professional cadres (such as education, health, agriculture, customs) has reached its peak. The report proposed by the Public Administration Reforms Commission formed in 2023 also alleges that attempts have been made to institutionalize this discrimination. The report proposes separating the education and health cadres from the main administrative structure, maintaining a quota system for the posts of deputy secretaries, and providing special privileges in the ‘Superior Executive Service’ for the administrative cadre.

The protesters alleged that the ‘cadre belongs to its own ministry’ principle has been violated. The professional cadres do not have their ministries to control. For example, officials from the agriculture cadre are posted to other ministries instead of being kept in the agriculture ministry.

They also said that there is discrimination in the promotion and quota system. They claim that while officials from the administrative cadre get promotions quickly, the same does not happen to other cadres.

The protesters also said that 13 officials from the 25 cadres have been temporarily suspended for protesting discrimination on Facebook.

Pictures of the day

Since Sunday morning, officials in the capital's Khamarbari, offices adjacent to the Secretariat and government offices in divisional cities have been participating in a silent protest wearing black badges.

In front of the Khamarbari Livestock Department, an official, on condition of anonymity, said that the budget for our agricultural expansion work is low, promotions are stuck. However, people in the administration cadre are enjoying all the benefits.

Due to the impact of the strike, file movement and service activities were disrupted in some departments related to health, agriculture, and education. However, it was confirmed that emergency services (hospitals, emergency veterinary services) were normal.

Why the controversy?

Coordinator of the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council Dr. Mofizur Rahman called the Public Administration Reform Commission's report a 'document of administrative fascism' at a press conference on Saturday. According to him, if the proposals mentioned in the report are implemented, the education and health cadres will be weak. By making them 'outside the cadre', the attraction of talented candidates is being reduced.

He also believes that real talent is being ignored by introducing a rote test system for talent verification, excluding mathematics. He said that with the abolition of the district council, the power of local government is being taken away and centralized in the hands of the administration cadre.

The council's proposal

The proposals are--formation of separate profession-based ministries for all cadres, abolition of quotas for the post of deputy secretary and merit-based appointments, renaming the Ministry of Public Administration as the 'Ministry of Human Resource Management'.

Solidarity of retired officials

Former officials of 25 cadres have also joined the movement. Ahmed Ali Chowdhury Iqbal, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Retired 25 Cadre Coordination Council formed last Friday, said: "Even at the end of our lives, we see that our successors are victims of the same discrimination. The state machinery is now ineffective due to the dominance of the administration cadre."

The council organized a human chain of retired officers at Khamarbari on Sunday and expressed solidarity with working colleagues.

Suspension over Facebook post: New crisis

The suspension of Mongla Custom House Commissioner AKM Mahbubur Rahman has given new dimension to the movement. After his name was dropped from the National Defence Course (NDC) in January, he posted a status on Facebook criticizing the ‘absolute power’ and discrimination of the administration cadre. He was dismissed on February 3 on charges of ‘misconduct’.

The incident also saw widespread reactions on social media. Users used the hashtag #StopCadreDiscrimination to express their anger against the government, with many officials expressing their anger against it.

Silence of government and outline of future movement

The agitators allege that the government has not responded positively so far. The Ministry of Public Administration said in a brief statement, ‘All issues related to cadre management will be resolved under the law and regulations.’

However, according to the council’s plan, some programs may be taken next week. These include - strikes in phases, a two-day office boycott, a week of Mass campaigns, human chains, rallies in the capital and divisional cities. Legal battles also be fought. As part of this, the dismissal order and reform report will be challenged through a writ petition in the High Court.

Why is the crisis deepening?

Political Science Professor Dr. SM Ali Reza said that discrimination in the BCS structure is not new. In the ‘civil service’ model of the British era, the administration cadre has been developed as ‘mainstream’, while the rest have been shown as ‘second class’. It is necessary to reform this structure in line with the times.

He said that if the experience of professional cadres is not utilized, important sectors like agriculture, health, and education will lag behind. The government must develop skilled human resources by coordinating among the various parties. If the government does not come forward to resolve the crisis through a quick dialogue regarding this movement of 25 cadres, this stalemate will slow down the pace of national development.