CUET staff salaries halted by VC’s email, payments made after sit-in

Salaries and allowances for September were paid to teachers, officials and employees of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) on Wednesday after employees staged a sit-in at Sonali Bank branch on the campus, protesting the delay in payment.

The employees began their protest at the CUET branch of Sonali Bank at 11am, and the salary payment process began around 12:30pm, about one and a half hours later.

Jamal Uddin, president of the CUET Employees Association, said salaries and allowances had traditionally been paid based on the signatures of the comptroller and assistant comptroller.

“However, the new vice-chancellor had withheld the salaries this time. We surrounded the bank and staged a sit-in in protest. We have received messages confirming the payment of our salaries. Following our demand, the salaries were paid according to CUET’s longstanding practice,” he said.

Jayanta Bhowmik, manager of Sonali Bank’s CUET branch, said the employees had received their salaries and that payments to teachers and officials would also be made today.

Earlier on Wednesday, newly appointed CUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam emailed the bank manager regarding the payment of salaries and allowances.

In the email, he described sending salary bills to the bank without the vice-chancellor’s prior approval as “unauthorised and illegal”. Citing Section 13(7) of the CUET Act, 2003, he said financial transactions without the explicit approval of the vice-chancellor were not legally valid.

Following the email, the salary payment process was halted, the bank manager said. He added that the matter had been reported to the bank’s higher authorities and that a decision would come from them.

The university employees then began their sit-in at the bank branch at 11am today, demanding payment of their salaries and allowances. The employees received their salaries around 12:30pm, after which the bank authorities said salaries of teachers and officials would also be paid.

Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) was appointed CUET vice-chancellor on September 21, replacing Professor Dr Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.

Following the appointment, students launched a movement demanding the reinstatement of the former vice-chancellor. Teachers, officials and employees later joined a work abstention programme with the same demand.

Amid the ongoing movement, CUET’s academic and administrative activities have remained largely stalled for 16 consecutive days. Regular classes and examinations have been suspended, while various administrative activities have also been disrupted.