Govt employees’ protest temporarily suspended

The ongoing protest at Bangladesh Secretariat against the newly issued “Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025” has been temporarily suspended following a high-level meeting with senior officials. The suspension comes after four consecutive days of demonstrations by government employees.

The decision was announced on Tuesday afternoon after a meeting between protesting employees and five senior secretaries, including Land Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed. The meeting was held at the conference room of the Ministry of Land.

“We will meet with the Cabinet Secretary tomorrow to further discuss the employees' concerns. Hence, we have requested that they suspend their protest for now,” said Secretary Ahmed.

Md. Badiul Kabir, President of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Unity Council, stated that the demonstration will remain suspended until the outcome of the meeting with the Cabinet Secretary. However, he warned that if demands are not met, protests will resume on Thursday.

The protest was sparked after the interim government's advisory council approved a draft of the Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 last Thursday. Despite objections, the ordinance was officially promulgated on Sunday evening, triggering widespread protests among employees across ministries and departments.

For the past four days, a large number of Secretariat staff left their desks to join rallies and demonstrations inside the premises, demanding immediate withdrawal of the ordinance.