Demonstrations persist at the Secretariat demanding the withdrawal of the ordinance

Government officials continued their protests for the 11th straight day at the Secretariat on Tuesday, demanding the repeal of the 'Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025'.

According to UNB, demonstrators gathered in front of Building No. 4 of the Secretariat around 11 am and later brought out a procession.

They then held a sit-in in front of the Cabinet Division and submitted two memorandums addressed to Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed and Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, urging the withdrawal of the ordinance.

The protest was organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Unity Forum, a coalition representing various staff and officer associations.

Md Nurul Islam, the Forum’s Co-Chairman, stated, “There is no mention of a dearness allowance in the national budget announced on Monday. Instead, this repressive law has been forced upon us. We will announce new programmes of action.”

He warned of launching a tougher movement if there is no positive response by June 15.

Following the demonstration and sit-in, protestors submitted the memorandums to the two advisers.

The ordinance, issued on May 25, permits the dismissal of government employees with just a show-cause notice for four categories of misconduct, bypassing the traditional departmental inquiry process.

Its draft was approved at an Advisory Council meeting on May 22, and Secretariat staff associations have been jointly protesting the ordinance since May 24.