Employees stage protest after leaving offices at the secretariat

Hundreds of employees were seen leaving their offices and joining the procession inside the secretariat on Sunday.Mustak Ahmed

For the second consecutive day, the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Joint Council held a large demonstration inside the Secretariat today, Sunday, in opposition to the draft of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.

The organisation has demanded the withdrawal of the ordinance, calling it a “regressive and black law.”

On Sunday morning, hundreds of employees were seen leaving their offices and joining the procession inside the Secretariat. Slogans are chanted from the rally as the procession moved through various areas within the premises, with a large number of employees in attendance.

Last Thursday, the Advisory Council of the interim government approved the draft of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which amends the Public Service Act, 2018.

It has been alleged that the draft ordinance includes several “regressive clauses” drawn from a special provision dating back more than four decades. Officials and employees claim that the amendments pave the way for easier disciplinary action, including dismissal from service, against government staff. Protesters are also demanding that the draft be reconsidered, calling it unconstitutional.