The issue of uniform service code and merger for Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) and Rural Electricity Association (PBS) is a government/state decision, it is not under the jurisdiction of BREB or the head of the organization.
Any decision of the government in this regard is final. Any activity against office discipline by holding esteemed customers hostage on this issue will not be tolerated.
Exchange of views meetings are being held every month to provide various solvable and reasonable facilities to the officers/employees of PBS. After visiting the associations, meeting all the officers/employees of each association sincerely, after knowing their reasonable facilities, steps are being taken to resolve them as soon as possible. This is a reformative and positive ongoing process.
On 17 October 2024, some miscreant officers/employees were arrested in a sedition case for destabilizing the state by blacking out respected customers nationwide and causing power outages. Later, they were released on bail and freely engaged in similar activities, which posed a threat to 3.5 crore customers. It is worth noting that due to their conspiratorial blackout activities, 01 patient died in a hospital in Netrakona due to a lack of oxygen, which is unfortunate.
In order to increase the facilities and benefits of the officers/employees working in the PBS, their weekly leave has been increased to 02 days instead of 1 day, a special incentive of 5% has been implemented from 01 July 2023 and a recommendation has been sent to the ministry to provide electricity bill benefits up to 400 units for the officers/employees of the PBS.
4723 linemen level-1 included in the organizational structure of the PBS have been regularized against vacancies. 1302 billing assistants employed on a no-work, no-wage basis have been appointed on probation. The contract period of line workers has been increased to 2 years instead of 6 months/1 year. The contract of meter readers has been extended to 3 years, and arrangements have been made to stay in one place for 4 terms for 12 years, which was previously 9 years in 3 terms. In addition, 68 officers/employees have been mutually transferred as per their applications. The process of transferring/posting spouses of officers/employees working in PBS to the same or nearby workplace is ongoing.
As part of the reform of the country`s state institutions, various officers/employees of the BREB and the PBS are being reshuffled due to transfers, which is a normal process of reform.
Collecting extortion, organizing and participating in meetings and gatherings, spreading propaganda to destabilize the electricity sector and disrupt rural electrification activities by making announcements through Zoom meetings is serious misconduct according to the PBS Employees Service Rules 1992 (Revised-2012).
Recently, the following activities have been taken by the BREB to improve inter-relationships,
All officers/employees of the BREB and PBS have been instructed to perform their duties as “we” and not “me” and to maintain honesty, discipline, transparency, accountability, and chain of command to ensure customer service.
On September 04, 2024, a flood relief operation was conducted among the flood victims in Burichang Upazila under Comilla PBS-2 and Parashuram Upazila under Feni PBS. Relief materials are distributed in coordination with the officers/employees of BREB and PBS.
If any officer/employee dies while serving in the PBS, a committee has been formed to provide financial assistance to the family members, including the expenses of burial/interment.
Consultation meetings are being held every month in the BREB to resolve various logical problems of the officers/employees of the PBS.
A committee has been formed to determine the availability of linemen in proportion to the number of customers and distribution lines of all existing offices of the PBS and the demand for lineman tools and other goods.
Although various logical facilities have already been provided to the officers and employees of the PBS by the initiative of the Power Department, BREB, and PBS, some officers/employees of the Association have been continuously conducting various types of irrational activities to satisfy personal benefits by obstructing customer service. Despite providing so many facilities and services as part of the conspiracy, they have announced the March to Dhaka program again on May 21, 2025. Through this program, they are trying to collect unreasonable demands by holding customers hostage. Through this, a well-planned attempt is being made to destroy a successful and customer-serving state institution like the BREB and to destabilize the interim government formed through the student-public uprising, which is in no way acceptable.
In this context, in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply to 140 million people of Bangladesh and keep the country`s economy running, we are determined to successfully advance the rural electrification program by ensuring the honesty, dedication, sincerity, mutual cooperation and proper observance of the service rules of the officers/employees of the BREB and the PBS.
-Press Release
