Retired Grameen Bank staff threaten indefinite sit-in

Retired officers and employees of Grameen Bank have demanded monthly medical allowances, annual festival allowances for Eid, Puja and Pahela Baishakh, and restoration of their pensions.

They warned that if instructions are not issued within seven days to implement their demands, they will begin an indefinite sit-in at the bank’s head office from the morning of October 11, joined by retirees from across the country.

The Grameen Bank Retired Officials and Employees Welfare Council (Kalyan Parishad) made the demands at a press conference in front of the National Press Club on Saturday morning.

Some retirees alleged that Grameen Bank had forced many employees into retirement before the end of their service periods.

In a written statement, council president Mahbubul Alam said around 24,000 officers and employees currently work at the bank’s head office, zonal offices, area offices and branches.

“Since its inception, around 15,000 officers have retired from the institution. More than 5,000 of those who retired have already spent 15 years or more in retirement. Most of these 5,000 officers retired before 2004,” he said, demanding restoration of their pensions.

He said monthly medical allowances for 15,000 retirees would cost the bank Tk 2.25 crore a month, while annual festival allowances would cost around Tk 45 crore.

Mahbubul said they had long been demanding implementation of government circulars issued in 2004, 2016 and 2018. Memorandums had been submitted to Grameen Bank authorities, Bangladesh Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, he said.

He said their demands remained unresolved despite repeated protests during the previous Awami League government’s tenure.

“After August 5, 2024, we submitted a memorandum to Grameen Bank founder and current Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus with renewed hope,” he said.

The retirees said similar issues had been resolved in other institutions, while Grameen Bank had kept their demands pending, leaving them in what they described as inhumane living conditions.