Government employees resumed their protests at the Secretariat on Tuesday, marking the second consecutive day of demonstrations against the controversial ‘Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025’. The protests resumed immediately after the Eid-ul-Adha holidays, with employees from various ministries and departments gathering at the Secretariat’s Badamtala area as per their pre-announced schedule.
Chanting slogans such as “Illegal black law, we reject it”, the demonstrators first assembled at Badamtala before marching to the Cabinet Division and the new building of the Public Administration Ministry. The protesting employees maintained their strong opposition to the ordinance throughout the peaceful demonstration.
Following the protest, the employees submitted memorandums to two key government advisers – Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen S Murshid – reiterating their demand for complete withdrawal of the amendment.
This latest demonstration continues the wave of protests that began before Eid-ul-Adha, during which employees have employed various forms of protest including work abstentions, demonstrations and submission of memorandums.
In a related development, Law Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein indicated there might be room for reconsideration, stating that “there is scope for reconsidering certain aspects of the Government Employment Ordinance.” However, he did not specify which particular provisions might be reviewed or modified.
The protesting employees have vowed to continue and potentially escalate their movement unless their core demand for complete cancellation of the amendment is met by the authorities. Observers note that the persistence of these protests reflects growing discontent among government employees about changes to their service conditions.
The situation remains fluid as both sides appear to be maintaining their positions, with protesters determined to continue their agitation while government officials suggest possible reconsideration of certain ordinance provisions.