Protest against govt job ordinance draws few employees at Secretariat

Despite a call for a large protest programme at the Secretariat on Tuesday, only a hundred or so protesters turned up for the demonstration against the Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance.

Employees union leaders raised various criticisms against the ordinance from the rally that started near the new Cabinet building a little after 11am.

An open-air protest was also announced at Badamtala with separate processions from all ministries.

Government Service (Amendment) Ordinance was issued on May 25 under the initiative of the Ministry of Public Administration. Since then, protests have been ongoing against this law, with critics calling it regressive.

A committee formed to review the ordinance has already met. Committee member and Advisor Fouzul Kabir Khan said that necessary recommendations will be prepared after another round of meetings with employees.

Nurul Islam, co-chairman of the Officers and Employees Oikya Forum, said: “We don’t want to trust anyone. We don’t want special benefits. We want the ordinance to be repealed and we want a 50 percent dearness allowance.

“If the fascist government’s friends are not here, who is the mastermind of this ordinance? We are making a list of those who are taking advantage. We now want the ordinance to be repealed and 50 percent dearness allowance. The friends of the fascist government’s friends must be removed.”

Mojahidul Islam Selim, deputy secretary general of the Officers and Employees Oikya Forum, said: “We have to increase the size of the protests. Everyone should think about whether posters can be put up on every wall of the Secretariat against this ordinance. This law was passed in the absence of the law advisor. The law advisor said it is a bad law. So why are we wasting time before repealing this law?

“We will not surround the [State Guest House] Jamuna. Because we are not that kind of people. They have given special benefits instead of dearness allowance, which is Tk 237.50. We are saying that the minimum should be an increase of Tk 4,000.

“By the special grace of Allah, they have become secretaries and advisors. But their judgment is poor.”

He warned that, though the current protests are not disruptive, they could escalate.

Employees’ union leader Golam Rabbani said, “Some spectators left behind by the dictator have brought us into conflict with the government. We have identified several people.”

“The committee formed by the chief advisor to review the ordinance held a meeting. We were hoping that they would call us to that meeting, but they did not. I heard in the media that they would make arrangements for amendments. We do not accept amendments. This black law must be repealed. We are receiving messages from all over Bangladesh. They say that they will take to the streets against this law.”