Staff of the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) have announced a full strike and suspension of all passenger services on the metro line starting Friday (12 Dec) at 7:00am, citing unmet demands by the authorities.
Officials say the strike was triggered because DMTCL failed to fulfill promises made on 9 December to address their long-standing grievances.
As a result, and according to a previously issued ultimatum, the employees are now launching a comprehensive work stoppage.
Among their complaints, staff highlight that though more than 900 workers joined the metro service after the commercial launch in 2022, there remains no finalised service regulations for them.
The workers allege they have been deprived of basic benefits such as approved leave, CPF contributions, gratuity payments, shift allowances, overtime pay, group insurance, and other standard employment protections — despite working persistently day and night.
They say that back on 12 September 2024, the advisory committee had committed to issuing clear service rules within 60 working days.
When that did not happen, the staff launched a protest in February 2025. At that time, DMTCL management pledged to finalise the regulations by 20 March 2025 — a promise that was also broken.
Nine months of growing frustration among employees have now culminated in the strike.
In addition to the strike, the workers plan to hold peaceful sit-ins daily outside the DMTCL head office until their demands are met.
The interruption of metro services is expected to severely impact daily commuters across the city.
No official response from DMTCL management has yet been issued publically.
FP/MI
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