Salary Payments Suspended at July Foundation
Collected Photo
The operations of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation, located in Shahbagh, Dhaka, have effectively stalled due to a funding shortage. The foundation’s 38 officers and employees have not received salaries for the past two months, raising concerns among staff regarding job security and their future.
According to foundation sources, the organization’s monthly operational cost is approximately Tk 1.6 million, of which around Tk 1.2 million is spent on salaries. The last salary payment from government funds was made in February this year, covering the salary for January.
Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kamal Akbar personally provided an interest-free loan equivalent to one month’s salary from his pension funds to ease the financial pressure on employees. However, salaries for March and May remain unpaid, and the organization has also been unable to provide Eid bonuses.
The July Shaheed Smriti Foundation was established by the government in 2024 to preserve the memory of those killed in the July uprising, provide medical treatment to the injured, and support the rehabilitation and welfare of martyrs’ families.
On September 12 of that year, the then interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus allocated an initial grant of Tk 10 billion from the Relief and Welfare Fund to the foundation. Later, Tk 500 million from Bangladesh Bank and donations from the public increased the total fund to Tk 11.9 billion.
The foundation reports that in the first phase, financial assistance was provided to more than 1,000 injured individuals and families of martyrs. Significant amounts were also spent on complex surgeries for severe injuries involving eyes, limbs, and nerves, as well as advanced medical treatment in Thailand and Singapore. However, due to the lack of substantial new government or institutional funding, the foundation began facing a financial crisis at the beginning of this year. Its bank balance is now reportedly close to zero.
General Secretary of the foundation, Shamsi Ara Zaman, said that the organization is currently going through an extreme financial crisis and is unable to pay staff salaries regularly.
CEO Kamal Akbar said, “The people working here also have families. With Eid approaching, they have not received salaries. Out of humanitarian concern, I have given an amount equivalent to one month’s salary from my pension funds as a loan. But even then, we have not been able to pay Eid bonuses.”
The foundation claims that repeated requests for financial assistance have not received any effective response from the government.
Shamsi Ara Zaman said they have sought support from various authorities but have been unsuccessful. She also claimed that necessary seriousness was not shown by the government. She added that multiple attempts were made to meet the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, but even scheduled meetings required long waiting times and ultimately did not take place.
She further stated that when they later met the State Minister for Liberation War Affairs, Ishraq Hossain, he listened attentively but said that funding decisions were beyond his jurisdiction.
An appeal was also submitted to the Speaker of Parliament requesting budget allocation for the foundation, but no progress followed, she said.
CEO Kamal Akbar added that they have repeatedly contacted the relevant ministry but have not received the expected response. Ultimately, they were forced to send a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office and are now waiting to see what response they receive.
He also noted that the organization managed to run operations for two financial years using the budget allocated for a single fiscal year. However, with the new fiscal year already underway, no fresh budget has yet been received.
Shamsi Ara Zaman said that weakening the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation would mean weakening the spirit of the July movement itself. She added that the services the foundation provides cannot easily be replicated by any other institution, and prolonged non-payment of salaries is creating growing internal dissatisfaction within the organization.
