Over 45,000 employees and officials of 80 Palli Bidyut Samitis have declared a nationwide work abstention starting Tuesday, continuing their ongoing protest while committing to uninterrupted electricity service. The announcement was made on the sixth day of a sit-in at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, led by Palli Bidyut Association President Engineer Tajul Islam.
The demonstrators are pressing a seven-point demand, including the removal of the REB chairman, implementation of uniform employment rules, regularization of contract staff, and withdrawal of what they allege are false and harassing legal actions. They also seek systemic reforms aligning Palli Bidyut operations with national power distribution standards.
Despite assurances of service continuity, protest leaders criticized the Rural Electrification Board for allegedly misleading the government and failing to address workers’ grievances. With no official response yet, the movement has expanded to include a declared non-cooperation stance against REB.
