Government employees on Sunday threatened not to return to work until the withdrawal of the draft Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.
Md Badiul Kabir, president of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council, came up with the announcement while demonstrating at the main entrance of the Secretariat.
“We will resist the ill motive behind this ordinance as it is a repressive law,” he said.
“We will not return to our duties unless the ordinance is withdrawn. We will continue our sit-in protest at Badamtola (in front of Building No. 6) inside the Secretariat,” he added.
They also threatened to shut all gates and bring Secretariat operations to a halt.
“We have already spoken to several advisers and secretaries on this issue. But none could assure us, forcing us to take to the streets,” they said.
The protest began in the morning and was going on till the filing of this report around 3pm.
Employees from various departments refrained from work and gathered within the Secretariat premises to voice their opposition to the ordinance.
A procession was brought out on the Secretariat premises.
The draft ordinance received a nod from the Advisory Council on Thursday, prompting employees to go on strike in protest, according to the demonstrators.
In response, the government has assigned four advisers to review the draft further.
Protestors have strongly condemned the ordinance, labelling it “repressive and draconian”, and are demanding its immediate cancellation.
They argue that the proposed amendments would curtail employee rights and increase government control over civil servants.
Earlier on Saturday Md Badiul Kabir, said: "The draft includes some restrictive provisions from outdated special laws, creating avenues for easily punishing or even dismissing government officials and employees."
He further said that the proposed ordinance contradicts the constitution and should be reconsidered.
"The Government Job Act, 2018, already outlines all relevant codes of conduct and necessary provisions. Adding these new repressive clauses through an ordinance is unacceptable. This is a black law, and we demand its immediate withdrawal," he added.
