The dismissed officers and employees of several banks under S. Alam Group staged a protest in Chattogram on Sunday by blocking the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway.
The protesters are former employees of Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL), Islami Bank, and Union Bank.
As a result, traffic on the highway came to a standstill. The protest began at Akhtaruzzaman Moijjartek area of Karnaphuli Upazila at around 9:00am on Sunday.
Starting at 9:00am, hundreds of dismissed bank officers gathered on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway at Moijjartek in Karnaphuli Upazila. Carrying banners, festoons, and some even dressed in burial shrouds, they staged a protest that severely disrupted vehicular movement in the area. Ordinary people faced significant hardships due to the blockade.
The protesters raised various slogans such as, "No place for discrimination in my Bangladesh," "We will fight, we will return with our jobs," and "One demand, one slogan, we want our jobs back."
The protesters said that they had secured their jobs through online applications and a proper recruitment process. However, they were dismissed by questioning the recruitment process. They have submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Advisor, warning of a larger movement if their demands are not met.
They said, during the time of crisis, we worked hard to help the bank recover. We worked from morning until 10:00pm. But now, with just one notice, we have been dismissed. We want our jobs back. Each of us has a family to support. The people of Chattogram have always been at the forefront in times of national crisis. The government have no responsibility towards the people of Chattogram now.
The blockade caused a complete halt to vehicular movement from Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar and vice versa. Vehicles traveling on internal routes are also facing disruptions.
Vehicular movement remained completely blocked from 9:00am to nearly 12:00pm, causing significant disruptions.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karnaphuli Police Station, Monir Hossain, said, the dismissed bank employees are protesting to get their jobs back. Due to the protest, traffic congestion has occurred on both ends of the highway. However, traffic flow became normal within after several hours or so.
