The “Government Employment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025” was promulgated on Monday evening despite ongoing protests by civil servants at the Secretariat.
The move comes as employees from various ministries and departments continued their demonstrations for a second consecutive day on Sunday, organised under the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees United Council.
Protesters have condemned the ordinance as “repressive and draconian,” demanding its immediate withdrawal and vowing to sustain their movement.
The ordinance, which amends the Government Employment Act 2018 after receiving cabinet approval last Thursday, introduces several contentious provisions. It classifies four specific employee actions as punishable offenses: Acts constituting disobedience or inciting disobedience among colleagues; unauthorised absence without valid reasons; instigating work abstention; and obstructing colleagues from performing duties. Penalties for such offenses range from demotion to lower positions or salary grades to outright removal or dismissal from service.
Of particular concern to protesting employees is the ordinance’s streamlined disciplinary process, which permits penalties without formal departmental cases. The new framework requires authorities to issue show-cause notices within seven days of allegation formulation, followed by an additional seven working days for final explanation before penalty imposition.
While affected employees retain the right to appeal within 30 working days, this provision explicitly excludes appeals against presidential orders.
Civil servants argue these measures revive repressive clauses reminiscent of special provisions from four-and-a-half decades ago, violating constitutional protections. The employee council maintains its demand for complete ordinance repeal as protests continue.