The Secretariat employees agitating for the restoration of old office timing and new pay scales, split into three factions yesterday over a report that some leaders of the Sangjukto Karmachari Parishad had a clandestine deal with the government to frustrate the movement. reports UNB.

The three groups accused each other of collaborating with the government and betraying the employees.

Yesterday the employees started assembling at two separate places inside the Secretariat from 9 am, defying a government ban.

At about 11 am. while observing a token strike, the employees held three separate rallies.

Parishad leaders Habibur Rahman and Shah Alam addressed a rally in front of the 14-storey building while another group of employees staged demonstration near the 19-storey building under the leadership of Zafar, Ataur and Az-tzur Rahim, leaders of the same organisation.

The third group, under a bridge linking the 19-storied building with the Ministry of Works, criticised the leaders of the other two rallies for. what it called, destroying the unity of the employees for their personal interests. This group was addressed by one Salamatullah.

Addressing the rally. Habib and Alam admitted that they had met with the Prime Minister. but did not disclose the contents of the discussion.

The three groups chanted slogans for about an hour, not targeting the government, but accusing each other of making attempts to crush the movement.

Leaders of the each group gave speeches, renewing the demands of the employees, and called upon the employees to continue the two-hour token strike till their demands were met.

Some activists of the newly emerged third group strongly demanded unity among the rivals.

They warned that leaders of the two rival groups would be thrown out of the leadership if they did not come to a common platform in the interest of the employees.

The agitating employees, however, returned to their respective offices at about 12 noon.