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They threatened to continue demonstrations throughout this month unless the government changes their designation and upgrades their salary grade to 13 from 14 and 15.

About 12,500 staffers are staging the protest, said the association.

Officials said the protests were badly hampering administrative works.

“If the work abstention continues, activities at our offices will eventually come to a halt,” a UNO in Dhaka division told The Daily Star, wishing not to be unnamed.

Kazi Moniruzzaman, secretary general of the staffers’ association, said they have long been pressing for the demands, but to no avail.

He said office assistants join work under Grade-16 of the National Pay Scale-2015, but only a few of them are promoted to Grade-10, which is equivalent to the salary scale of a second-class officer. This creates frustration among the staffers.

There are 20 grades under the National Pay Scale-2015. These grades are divided into four categories -- 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Grades 1 to 9 fall under the 1st category, Grade-10 under the 2nd, Grade-11 to 16 under the 3rd and the rest under the 4th category.

Moniruzzaman said there is a discrepancy in the salary scales of “tahsilder” and the staffers of the administrative section of the land offices, which irked them.

In January, the land ministry upgraded the salary scale of union land assistant officer (tahsildar) and union deputy land assistant officer (assistant tahsildar) to Grades 11 and 12 from 16 and 17.

“Following the upgradation, a junior staffer becomes a senior in the same office [AC land]. The former senior staffers [in Grades 14 and 15] now have to call their juniors ‘sir’. This is humiliating,” said Moniruzzaman.

The association now demands a merger of Grades 14 and 15 with Grade 13 and the designation of the staffers be “administrative officer” and “assistant administrative officer”.

On Tuesday, Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Shahidul Islam wrote to the senior secretary of the public administration ministry, informing it about the commotion among the staffers.

This newspaper has obtained a copy of the letter.

It says, “Though the staffers of different departments under the same pay grades have been promoted, those working at the district administration are yet to be promoted. They are working at the same level, but they are being paid under a lower grade.

“Due to the work abstention throughout the day, public service is being badly disrupted and a deadlock has been created.”

The DC recommended upgrading their pay grades and changing their designations.

Speaking to this correspondent, another UNO said there are many public events in March and the strike was hampering preparations.

“Besides, haats and bazars are leased out this time of the year ahead of the Bengali New Year’s Day [April 14]. I cannot carry out the works,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Nabirul Islam, additional secretary (administration wing) of the public administration ministry, said the government is considerate towards the staffers’ demands.

“The matter is under consideration. But I don’t know why they are observing the strike,” he told The Daily Star yesterday.

Nabirul held a meeting with the leaders of the association yesterday. In the meeting, the association was asked to withdraw their protest, said meeting sources.

However, the association leaders said they will sit in a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue. “If the members of the association agree, we’ll withdraw the strike.”