Secretariat employees staged renewed protests on Thursday, demanding the immediate repeal of the newly issued Public Service Ordinance. Protesters warned of launching tougher action programmes if their demands are not met. Employees were seen gathered beneath the buildings of the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Public Administration, chanting slogans and rallying against the ordinance.
They later marched through the secretariat premises as part of the demonstration. Nurul Islam, co-chairman of the Sochibaloy Kormochari Oikkya Forum, stated, “This movement will continue until the ordinance is fully repealed.”
The draft of the ordinance was approved during an advisory council meeting on May 22 and formally issued on May 25. It allows the dismissal of government employees for four types of disciplinary violations based solely on a show-cause notice—without the need for formal departmental proceedings. Even before the ordinance was issued, employees had been staging demonstrations, work stoppages, and sit-in programmes, and had submitted memorandums to several government advisers, urging a reconsideration.
Government employees have been protesting against the ordinance since May 24.