Palli Bidyut Samity leaders to meet with REB, Power Division to discuss their demands tomorrow

Representatives of the Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) officials and employees are set to meet tomorrow with the newly appointed chairman of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (REB) and the head of a Power Division committee to address their demands.

The first meeting will take place at 10am at the REB office, with the new chairman Major General SM Zia-ul-Azim and PBS representatives. Later, at 2pm, the second meeting will be held at the Power Division with Additional Secretary Syed Masum Ahmed Chowdhury, who chairs a committee formed to examine the PBS employees' grievances.

Md Makbul Hossain, a senior general manager of the Brahmanbaria Palli Bidyut Samity and one of the leaders representing PBS officers, expressed hope that these meetings would effectively address their issues.

Approximately 40,000 employees and officers from 80 PBSs nationwide have been vocal about their demands, particularly following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. Their primary concerns include ending discrimination in service terms and securing permanent employment status. In response, they have threatened mass leave and resignations if their demands are not met.

However, these plans have raised suspicions within the interim government, which fears that such movements could be part of a broader strategy to destabilise the administration. This concern stems from the fact that many PBS employees were politically appointed during the previous Awami League government.

In an attempt to address the rising tensions, the Power Division established a nine-member committee headed by Additional Secretary Syed Masum Ahmed Chowdhury. 

The committee includes four representatives from PBS employees, three from the REB, and two from the Power Division. 

"We hope the committee's first meeting will thoroughly discuss the issues faced by PBS employees and officials, leading to a viable solution," said Syed Masum.

The current unrest follows a protest on 8 August, when PBS officers and employees besieged the REB headquarters in Dhaka's Nikunja area. The demonstrators demanded the implementation of uniform employment rules and the regularisation of irregular employees. The siege was lifted after the REB authorities, with army mediation, agreed to suspend any staff transfers until the Power Division's report was received.

The PBSs, rural electricity cooperatives, operate under the administrative control of the REB and play a crucial role in the country's electrification efforts. The ongoing grievances center around perceived discrimination in employment practices, with workers alleging that despite holding the same qualifications and performing the same tasks, they are treated unfairly compared to their REB counterparts.