Bangladesh’s Controversial Service Law Is Sparking Nationwide Employee Unrest. Here’s Why

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Last Updated:May 28, 2025, 11:32 IST

The ordinance allows authorities to suspend oregon disregard civilian servants unilaterally, without conducting ceremonial inquiries, disciplinary hearings, oregon providing accidental for defence

Civil officials protestation wrong the Secretariat gathering successful Dhaka, demanding the repeal of a authorities bid giving it greater powerfulness to sack employees for disciplinary breaches. (AFP)

Bangladesh is successful the throes of yet different protest, this clip arsenic authorities employees instrumentality to the roads to request the repeal of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which grants the authorities sweeping powers to disregard civilian servants without owed process.

On Tuesday, Bangladesh’s interim authorities led by Muhammad Yunus deployed paramilitary forces astatine the secretariat to quell protests that entered the 4th consecutive day. News bureau PTI reported that paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the police’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, and elite anti-crime Raid Action Battalion (RAB) were stationed astatine the entrances of the secretariat analyzable lodging ministries and important offices.

WHAT DO THE NEW RULES SAY?

As per the Dhaka Tribune, the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, issued by the President connected Sunday, allows the authorities to occurrence employees for 4 types of disciplinary breaches done a show-cause notice, without initiating ceremonial departmental proceedings.

Power To Dismiss Or Suspend Without Due Process: The ordinance allows authorities authorities to suspend oregon disregard civilian servants unilaterally, without conducting ceremonial inquiries, disciplinary hearings, oregon providing an accidental for defence. This bypasses the accepted safeguards that necessitate an autarkic probe oregon administrative tribunal earlier taking specified punitive actions. The authorities tin enactment swiftly to region employees considered problematic oregon disloyal without the accustomed procedural protections.

Enhanced Executive Control Over Civil Servants: The caller rules grow the powers of ministers and different enforcement officials to monitor, control, and nonstop the activities of civilian servants. This includes tighter oversight connected day-to-day functions and greater authorization to contented instructions that civilian servants indispensable comply with. It reduces the autonomy traditionally enjoyed by bureaucrats successful carrying retired their duties.

Restriction On Employee Rights And Protections: The ordinance limits oregon removes respective occupation information protections for civilian servants. Civil servants suffer oregon person restricted rights to: Appeal against disciplinary measures, entree transparent grievance procedures, and enactment successful unions oregon corporate bargaining. The proviso weakens civilian servants’ quality to support themselves against arbitrary decisions.

Expanded Grounds for Disciplinary Action: The ordinance broadens the database of offences oregon behaviours that tin trigger disciplinary actions, including vague categories specified arsenic “conduct prejudicial to nationalist interest" oregon “disloyalty." These open-ended presumption springiness the authorities a escaped manus to construe and use disciplinary measures, perchance targeting dissent oregon absorption wrong the civilian service.

Changes to Promotion and Appointment Processes: The rules besides impact promotion criteria and assignment procedures by expanding the relation of governmental considerations. There is simply a displacement towards enforcement discretion successful appointments and promotions, reducing merit-based and seniority-based advancements. This risks politicising the bureaucracy and undermining nonrecreational standards.

Imposition of New Reporting and Accountability Mechanisms: Civil servants are present taxable to stricter reporting requirements and are expected to supply regular updates and justifications for their work. The ordinance whitethorn besides necessitate the declaration of assets and tighter scrutiny of activities to forestall corruption, but critics reason these mechanisms tin beryllium utilized selectively oregon abusively.

WHY ARE EMPLOYEES PROTESTING?

According to the protesters, the quality of the authorities to disregard employees without owed process has created wide fearfulness and uncertainty, undermining morale and occupation stability. Many spot the ordinance arsenic a usurpation of cardinal rights, including the close to a just proceedings and extortion against arbitrary punishment.

Employees besides fearfulness that the rules could beryllium utilized to people dissenters oregon those who bash not align politically with the existent interim administration, starring to a nonaccomplishment of neutrality wrong the civilian service.

Critics reason that these rules could hamper the independency and effectiveness of the civilian service, arsenic fearfulness of arbitrary dismissal mightiness discourage officials from making impartial decisions oregon speaking up against malpractices.

The protesters, person described the ordinance arsenic an “unlawful achromatic law" and were seen chanting slogans rejecting it, specified arsenic – “The occurrence has been lit successful our blood," “Abolish the unlawful achromatic law," “Employees cull this amerciable law," “We volition not judge it," “Unite 18 lakh workers," and “No compromise, lone struggle."

The unrest is unfolding amid rising nationalist vexation with the interim government, which has held powerfulness for the past 9 months amid mounting calls for caller elections. Critics contend that nether the enactment of Muhammad Yunus, the country’s instrumentality and bid concern has deteriorated, and the deficiency of a democratically elected authorities is intensifying governmental instability.

HAS YUNUS LOST THE PLOT?

After Sheikh Hasina’s exit, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed to pb an interim authorities tasked with overseeing a modulation and organising caller elections successful Bangladesh. However, Yunus’s authorities has faced mounting disapproval from assorted quarters owed to its handling of governance, argumentation decisions, and governmental absorption during this turbulent period.

Critics reason that Yunus’s interim authorities lacks antiauthoritarian legitimacy since it was not elected by the people. This has led to wide distrust and skepticism astir the regime’s authority, which is exacerbated by delays successful holding elections. Despite promises to behaviour elections by a definite deadline, delays and uncertainty person fueled governmental instability and nationalist frustration. This has amplified calls for a instrumentality to an elected government.

Under Yunus’s administration, ostentation has risen sharply, straining household budgets and provoking idiosyncratic protests, particularly successful sectors similar garment manufacturing. Protests by garment workers and different labour groups implicit debased wages and mediocre moving conditions person highlighted increasing economical discontent.

The governmental turmoil and governance challenges person unsettled Bangladesh’s planetary partners and investors, with planetary quality rights organisations expressing interest implicit crackdowns connected protests and suppression of freedoms during the Yunus regime.

Location :

Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published:

News world Bangladesh’s Controversial Service Law Is Sparking Nationwide Employee Unrest. Here’s Why