Hundreds of government employees staged large-scale protests inside the Bangladesh Secretariat for the second consecutive day on Sunday, expressing strong opposition to the proposed Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.
Organised under the banner of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council, the demonstrators labelled the draft ordinance a “repressive black law” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. The council leaders expressed their pledge to continue their agitation till government scraps the ordinance.
In a rare and striking scene, civil servants left their desks en masse and paraded through various sections of the Secretariat compound, chanting slogans such as “We reject the illegal black law” and “Protect our constitutional rights.”
The protest drew widespread attention due to the sheer number of participants and the charged atmosphere within one of the country’s most secure administrative zones.
The unrest was sparked after the interim government’s Advisory Council granted preliminary approval to the draft ordinance last Thursday.
The proposed law seeks to amend the Public Service Act 2018, a key legislative framework governing the conduct, rights, and responsibilities of public servants in Bangladesh.
However, employees argue that the proposed amendments would significantly erode job security and civil service protections.
Protesters claim that several provisions in the draft ordinance mirror draconian clauses from past special regulations enacted during autocratic periods in Bangladesh’s history—particularly those used to control dissent within the bureaucracy during the 1970s and 1980s.
One of the core concerns voiced by demonstrators is that the revised ordinance would empower authorities to summarily punish, suspend, or dismiss public servants without due process, undermining principles of natural justice and violating Article 27 and Article 29 of the Constitution, which ensure equality before the law and fair treatment in public employment.
The Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council has called the ordinance a blatant attempt to suppress bureaucratic dissent and demanded that the government immediately withdraw the draft and engage in open consultation with civil service stakeholders.
The growing protests hint at possible administrative gridlock if the issue remains unresolved.
With the country currently under an interim government structure ahead of the next general election, many fear that pushing forward with such contentious reforms could further strain the relationship between the civil service and the state, potentially hampering public administration.
As of Sunday evening, no official statement has been issued by the interim government in response to the protests.