Government employees at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday resumed their protest, demanding the immediate repeal of the recently promulgated government Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 that made the process of dismissal of the public servants for misconduct less complicated.
Protesters under the banner of the 鈥楽ecretariat Officers-Employees Unity Forum鈥� have been protesting at the ordinance since May 24, terming it a 鈥榬epressive鈥� and 鈥榖lack鈥� law and demanding its withdrawal.
Platform leaders alleged that although a committee led by law adviser Asif Nazrul was formed to examine the ordinance, it had not engaged in any dialogue with them.
They announced that they would hold rally and procession on Tuesday at the secretariat and urged all government employees to join the protest.
Earlier in the day, after the end of a 10-day Eid holiday, government employees from various ministries gathered on the secretariat premises at about 10:30am and staged demonstrations.
Meanwhile on the day, law adviser Asif Nazrul, while talking to journalists at his office at the secretariat, urged the employees to keep their agitation on hold until the committee, formed in this connection, submitted its report.
鈥榃e will submit report to the council of advisers as soon as possible,鈥� he said.
Replying a question on the ordinance, the law adviser said that he was abroad while the ordinance was being formulated.聽 鈥業 was not directly involved with the formulation of the law. I can only say one thing鈥攖he government has not made the ordinance with any mala fide intention,鈥� Asif said.
The government on June 4 formed the committee with the law adviser as its convener to make recommendations through discussion with the agitated parties to review the ordinance.
After receiving a memorandum from leaders of the Secretariat Officers-Employees Unity Forum at his ministry on June 3, Asif Nazrul, who was in the formulation committee of the ordinance, acknowledged that certain provisions of the ordinance had the potential for misuse.
The advisory council鈥檚 meeting that approved the draft ordinance on May 22 reportedly asked Asif Nazrul along with food adviser Ali Imam Majumder, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and public works adviser Adilur Rahman Khan to further scrutinise the approved draft before promulgation of the ordinance.
But just three days after approving the draft, the government on May 25 promulgated the ordinance in a gazette amid protests of the government employees.
The Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which amended the Government Service Act, 2018, has introduced stricter disciplinary measures along with a provision that lists activities considered 鈥榤isconduct鈥�.
The ordinance allows dismissal of public servants for 鈥榓dministrative disruptions鈥� within 14 days and without departmental proceedings.
Under the amendment, employees can now be dismissed with only a notice for four types of offences鈥攄isrupting discipline, obstructing duties, unauthorised absence, or inciting others not to carry out their duties.
