A large number of government employees demonstrated at the Secretariat in the capital from the morning till Monday afternoon, protesting against the amendments to the Public Service Act of 2018 – which allows easier dismissal of employees for misconduct.
At around 2:30pm, they suspended the protest for the day and announced that they would continue their protests from 10am Tuesday.
The protesting officials also urged government officials across the country to hold demonstrations against the new ordinance.
Earlier, the government employees resumed their protest inside the Secretariat this morning, a day after the government issued an ordinance amending the Public Service Act.
Additional police personnel were deployed at the Secretariat this morning to tackle any untoward situation.
At one point, the main gate of the secretariat was locked when the protesters positioned themselves there at around 12:30pm.
The gate was reopened 30 minutes later while the protests continued inside the country's administrative hub, disrupting the regular workflow.
In the morning, a leader of the Secretariat Officers and Employees Unified Council, speaking to The Business Standard on condition of anonymity, said officials are determined to protest the amendment.
"The government cannot impose such a repressive law," he added.
Amidst widespread protests by public employees, the government published an amended ordinance on Sunday revising the Public Service Act, 2018, which allows easier dismissal of employees.
The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the law ministry issued the gazette of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.
What's in the ordinance
The ordinance seeks to restore four provisions from the repealed Government Servants (Special Provisions) Ordinance 1979. These would permit disciplinary actions such as demotion, removal, or dismissal for activities like inciting colleagues to skip duties or obstructing others' work.
Both the Secretariat Staff Association and the Inter-Ministerial Employees Association have appealed for the chief adviser's intervention to halt the ordinance. All staff organisations at the Secretariat oppose the draft.
When asked about the protest yesterday, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury urged employees to raise concerns through dialogue with the Cabinet Division or Public Administration Ministry.
"They should resolve the issue through discussion," he said.
Regarding the timing of the ordinance, the adviser added, "Changes are made as needed. It was revised in 2018 and again now. There's nothing unusual."
Punishment for misconduct
According to the new provision, misconduct includes engaging in any act that amounts to insubordination, or that creates insubordination among other government employees, or disrupts discipline, or obstructs the performance of duties.
Similarly, it defines misconduct as collectively or individually, without leave or any reasonable cause, being absent from or refraining from one's work, or failing to perform duties.
Furthermore, inciting or encouraging any other employee to be absent from or refrain from their work, or to not perform their duties, or obstructing any government employee from attending work or performing duties, will also be considered misconduct.
For such acts of misconduct, the government is empowered to impose penalties including demotion to a lower post or pay grade, removal from service, and dismissal from service.
The amended law also stipulates that if an accusation of misconduct is brought against a government employee, the employee will be referred to as "accused." Subsequently, a show-cause notice will be issued within seven working days of framing the charge, asking why the proposed penalty under this section should not be imposed. The authorised individual will also state in the notice whether the accused wishes to appear for a personal hearing.
If the accused employee appears for a personal hearing after receiving such a show-cause notice, and if, after the hearing, the appointing authority or the person framing the charge finds the accused guilty, or if the accused fails to show cause within the stipulated time, then the appointing authority or the person framing the charge will issue another notice.
This second notice will be issued within seven working days of the previous notice, asking why the proposed penalty mentioned in the notice should not be imposed.
Upon considering the explanation provided by the accused in response to this second notice, or if no explanation is provided within the stipulated time, the appointing authority may impose any of the penalties described in the notice on the accused.
Committee to review grievances
The public administration ministry issued a notification yesterday announcing the formation of a 10-member committee, led by an additional secretary, to review the grievances of protesting employees.
The committee will assess the legitimacy of demands, offer recommendations, meet monthly, and consult employee representatives or co-opt members if necessary.
