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Deccan Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Bangladesh new service law: Protesting employees lock main entrance of Secretariat
According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment.
The Print
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
B'desh new service law: Protesting employees lock main entrance of Secretariat
The agitating employees gathered near the main entrance around 12:30 pm. During that time, the gate was closed. It was reopened about half an hour later, around 1:00 pm. The protesting employees moved from the gate and gathered in a scattered way across the secretariat premises. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment. Dhaka/New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Hundreds of government employees on Monday briefly locked the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat, the heart of the administration, in the capital Dhaka, intensifying their protests against a new service law which allows easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. 'The gate was reopened after half an hour,' a private TV channel reported. According to the reports, official activities inside the complex were largely stalled as the employees continued the work stoppage. The protests started after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led interim government published the revised version of the law, allowing easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. The government employees threatened to continue the protests until the ordinance was scrapped. The authorities deployed extra police to enforce a vigil against any possible violence at the complex. Meanwhile, the protest by employees of the Dhaka South City Corporation, demanding the installation of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as its mayor in line with a court order, has brought administrative services to a halt, reported. The election commission preferred not to oppose the verdict, but the interim government on Monday challenged the ruling in the High Court to debar Hossain's swearing-in and allow an administrator it appointed to discharge the mayor's role. A sense of unease intensified in Bangladesh for the past few days amid protests in the civil administration and business sector over the policies of the Yunus-led interim government. The apex Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries and other business chambers Sunday convened a press conference to review the worrisome situation in the business arena. A prominent business community leader Showkat Aziz Russell told the presser that businessmen were being killed just like the intellectuals in the 1971 Liberation War. He warned of famine-like situation as more people become jobless. 'We don't know how we will pay bonuses and salaries to workers ahead of Eid-ul-Adha,' said Russell, the president of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA). 'You are inviting foreigners to invest in the country…(but) foreigners know that investment in Bangladesh is not viable. They know Vietnam is more profitable than Bangladesh,' Russell said. There have been reports of discord between the military and the interim government over the possible timeline for holding the parliamentary elections and other policy issues related to Bangladesh's security affairs, particularly involving a proposed humanitarian corridor of aid channel to Myanmar's rebel-held Rakhine state. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman along with the Navy and Air Force chiefs met Yunus last week and reportedly reiterated their call for election by December this year to allow an elected government to take charge. They also conveyed their reservation about the corridor issue. The next day, Gen Zaman held a senior officers meeting at Dhaka Cantonment and said he was unaware of the government's several strategic decisions despite the military's active role. The military also decided to be tough against rampant incidents of 'mob justice'. 'Bangladesh needs political stability. This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers,' the Daily Star newspaper quoted Zaman as saying during an 'officers' address' in which he delivered a 30-minute speech, followed by more than an hour of questions and answers. Officers from across the country and at Bangladeshi UN missions reportedly joined the event, both physically and virtually, in full combat uniform – a show of unity and resolve. According to reports, the army chief also voiced concern about making other decisions without an electoral mandate – including the potential foreign management of Chattogram Port, Bangladesh's main seaport, and the launch of Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service – which he said could compromise national security. PTI AR ZH ZH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bangladesh new service law: Protesting employees lock main entrance of Secretariat
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Hundreds of government employees on Monday briefly locked the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat, the heart of the administration, in the capital Dhaka, intensifying their protests against a new service law which allows easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment The agitating employees gathered near the main entrance around 12:30 pm. During that time, the gate was closed. It was reopened about half an hour later, around 1:00 pm. The protesting employees moved from the gate and gathered in a scattered way across the secretariat premises."The gate was reopened after half an hour," a private TV channel to the reports, official activities inside the complex were largely stalled as the employees continued the work protests started after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led interim government published the revised version of the law, allowing easier dismissal of officials for government employees threatened to continue the protests until the ordinance was scrapped. The authorities deployed extra police to enforce a vigil against any possible violence at the the protest by employees of the Dhaka South City Corporation, demanding the installation of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as its mayor in line with a court order, has brought administrative services to a halt, election commission preferred not to oppose the verdict, but the interim government on Monday challenged the ruling in the High Court to debar Hossain's swearing-in and allow an administrator it appointed to discharge the mayor's role.A sense of unease intensified in Bangladesh for the past few days amid protests in the civil administration and business sector over the policies of the Yunus-led interim apex Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries and other business chambers Sunday convened a press conference to review the worrisome situation in the business arena.A prominent business community leader Showkat Aziz Russell told the presser that businessmen were being killed just like the intellectuals in the 1971 Liberation War. He warned of famine-like situation as more people become jobless."We don't know how we will pay bonuses and salaries to workers ahead of Eid-ul-Adha," said Russell, the president of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA)."You are inviting foreigners to invest in the country...(but) foreigners know that investment in Bangladesh is not viable. They know Vietnam is more profitable than Bangladesh," Russell have been reports of discord between the military and the interim government over the possible timeline for holding the parliamentary elections and other policy issues related to Bangladesh's security affairs, particularly involving a proposed humanitarian corridor of aid channel to Myanmar's rebel-held Rakhine chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman along with the Navy and Air Force chiefs met Yunus last week and reportedly reiterated their call for election by December this year to allow an elected government to take charge. They also conveyed their reservation about the corridor next day, Gen Zaman held a senior officers meeting at Dhaka Cantonment and said he was unaware of the government's several strategic decisions despite the military's active military also decided to be tough against rampant incidents of "mob justice"."Bangladesh needs political stability. This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers," the Daily Star newspaper quoted Zaman as saying during an "officers' address" in which he delivered a 30-minute speech, followed by more than an hour of questions and from across the country and at Bangladeshi UN missions reportedly joined the event, both physically and virtually, in full combat uniform - a show of unity and to reports, the army chief also voiced concern about making other decisions without an electoral mandate - including the potential foreign management of Chattogram Port, Bangladesh's main seaport, and the launch of Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service - which he said could compromise national security.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Over R40 million per year spent on salaries for 24 arts and culture CEOs
The highest arts and culture earners were the CEOs of the Playhouse Company and the National Film and Video Foundation. The department of sports, arts and culture (DSAC) has released details of the remuneration packages of its executives. The information was shared via a written response to a parliamentary question submitted this month. It lists the salaries and perks of almost 30 CEOs of department agencies and heritage organisations. All the salaries are in line with levels 13 to 16 of the department of public service and administration's senior management service model. R45 million annually for 24 CEOs The DA's Thamsanqa Mabhena put in many parliamentary questions requesting the salaries of state-run agencies across multiple departments. DSAC responded with the total remuneration package, allowances, performance bonuses and all benefits of the CEOs of 26 entities – 24 for arts and culture and two for sport – under its umbrella. 'The CEOs/Directors of DSAC public entities are not employed under the Public Service Act with the exception of Pan South African Language Board and Boxing South Africa,' the department clarified. The remuneration packages of the 24 arts and culture CEOs totalling at least R45 million per year, while two sport's bodies came in at just under R3.5 million per year. Of the 25, only five were awarded or disclosed the awarding of performance bonuses for either the 2023/24 or 2024/25 financial years. Arts and culture CEO pay The disclosed amounts included housing subsidies, medical aid, pension contributions and UIF contributions. The only two sporting bodies listed were Boxing South Africa and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, whose CEOs earn R1.74 million and R1.69 million per year, respectively. Here is the list of the annual CEO remuneration packages for arts and culture entities under the DSAC: Playhouse Company: R3.02 million National Heritage Council: R2.6 million National Film and Video Foundation: R2.6 million plus a R130 000 performance bonus National Library of South Africa: R2.5 million South African State Theatre in Pretoria: R2.42 million Freedom Park at Salvokop in Pretoria: R2.32 million Artscape theatre in Cape Town: R2.3 Million South African Heritage Resources Agency: R2.01 million War Museum of the Boer Republics in Bloemfontein: R1.9 million Performing Arts Centre of the Free State in Bloemfontein: R1.89 million Pan South African Language Board: R1.89 million Afrikaanse Taal Museum and monument in Paarl: R1.77 million plus two performance bonuses of just under R40 000 National Arts Council: R1.76 million plus two performance bonuses totalling R247 000 National Museum in Bloemfontein: R1.69 million Mandela Bay Theatre complex, formerly the Port Elizabeth Opera House: R1.65 million Market Theatre Foundation: R1.63 million plus two performance bonuses totalling R229 000 Ditsong Museums of South Africa, which includes eight historical sites, including the National museums of natural and military history: R1.56 million The Nelson Mandela Museum, Mandela house in Vilakazi Street: R1.56 million National Library for the Blind: R1.49 million plus one performance bonus of R149 000 William Humphreys Art gallery in Kimberley: R1.43 million Luthuli Museum outside Charlottedale: R1.38 million Amazwi South African Museum of Literature in Grahamstown: R1.42 million per year KZN Museum in Pietermaritxburg: R970 000 per year plus R536 000 in undisclosed perks uMsunduzi – Voortrekker Museum in Pietermaritzburg: R878 000 salary per year and R207 000 annual travel allowance NOW READ: SA ministers to earn R2.68m per year, excluding homes and VIP protection
GMA Network
21-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DITO welcomes probe, says issue of ‘illegal' Chinese workers ‘rehashed'
DITO Telecommunity Corporation on Wednesday broke its silence on the allegations that it employs 400 Chinese nationals without proper working visas, saying it welcomes the probe into what it called a 'rehashed' issue. 'Firstly, DITO welcomes the investigation of the DICT on the allegations that Chinese employees or partners of DITO are involved in spying,' the telco said. DITO Tel issued the statement after the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced it is launching an investigation into columnist Ramon Tulfo's claim that the company was allegedly employing Chinese nationals who 'have over-extended their tourist visas.' The post said the 400 allegedly 'overstaying' Chinese might be endangering national security as they work for a telecom company. 'We are confident that this investigation will once again affirm the findings of the joint Audit of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Security Commission (NSC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), conducted recently on April 8, 2025, which stated clearly that DITO has passed the Government standards for cybersecurity and has safeguarded its network facilities and information assets by establishing a robust security system and infrastructure,' DITO Tel said. 'In fact, DITO undergoes periodic cybersecurity audits as a requirement of its franchise and as a critical infrastructure under the Public Service Act,' the telco said, adding that the post-audit report of the recent joint audit of the DICT, NSC and NTC are valid until April 2027. The telco further said that 'these allegations, and the questions on the legal status of non-Filipinos working at DITO, are not new to DITO.' 'We have been plagued by similar allegations since we were awarded by NTC to operate as the New Major Player in 2018,' it said. 'In fact, we have already addressed these claims numerous times in our Congressional hearings for the renewal of our franchise in 2021, and in various media fora henceforth,' it added. On the issue on visas, DITO Tel said it has always been fully compliant with all requirements for employment of foreign nationals. The telco also emphasized that it has specifically chosen retired major general Rodolfo Santiago as chief technology officer in charge of Network, IT, and Data Security; retired colonel Roleen Del Prado as head of Cybersecurity; and retired colonel Romeo Basco as head of Corporate Security. 'These retired men in uniform have dedicated and committed their lives to protecting the sovereignty of our country and security of our people, and they are sworn to continue to do so in their work at DITO,' it said. The telco added that 'despite these allegations being rehashed,' it has grown its subscribers to 15 million since its commercial launch in March 2021. 'Along with our over a thousand Filipino officers and staff of DITO, we take very seriously the trust given by our 15 million subscribers. We will always provide our customers with the best possible service, protect the privacy of their data, and will never allow our company to be used for any activity that would be detrimental to the interests of our country and its people,' it said. DITO Tel is 60% owned by DITO CME Holdings Corp., a unit of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy's conglomerate Udenna Group, while the remaining 40% is owned by state-owned China Telecommunications Corp. DITO Tel was dubbed the 'third telco' in the country's telecommunications space as it was meant to disrupt the so-called duopoly of Globe and PLDT-Smart. — BM, GMA Integrated News
