United News of Bangladesh

Employees at the Bangladesh Secretariat will observe a two-hour work abstention on Monday demanding the repeal of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. Md Nurul Islam, chairman of the Secretariat Officers and Employees Unity Forum, announced the fresh programme from a protest rally on the Secretariat premises on Sunday. The 2-hour work abstention will start at 11am. On June 19, secretariat employees staged a similar protest expressing concern over the ordinance, which they said was drafted without consulting stakeholders and could pave the way for arbitrary decisions on employment status and disciplinary action. The Unity Forum said that if their demands are not met, they will announce stronger protest programmes in the coming days. Fire at Bangladesh Secretariat sparks concerns of sabotage The draft of the ‘controversial’ ordinance was approved at a meeting of the Advisory Council on May 22. It includes provisions allowing dismissal of government employees for four types of disciplinary offences without a formal departmental inquiry, requiring only a show-cause notice. The ordinance was promulgated on May 25, sparking widespread backlash among public servants. Government employees have condemned the ordinance as regressive and a ‘black law’. Since May 24, they have been staging protest marches, work abstentions, and sit-ins within the Secretariat. Memorandums have also been submitted to several advisers demanding its repeal.

The first day of the three-day work abstention called by the NBR Unity Council, a platform comprising officers and employees from the Customs, VAT and Income Tax wings of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), was observed on Tuesday. The NBR officials refrained from work from 10 am to 1 pm on the first day. The protest comes in response to the government’s decision to split the NBR, allegedly bypassing the recommendations of the NBR Reform Committee. During visits to various rooms of the NBR in Agargaon and other offices across the city, it was observed that officials and employees had put down their pens to symbolise participation in the work abstention programme. Speaking to several participants, they said they are not against the division of the NBR but stressed that it should be carried out through fruitful discussions and in alignment with the reform proposals of the NBR Reform Committee. “We have no problem with the splitting, but in the name of that, paving the way for the intrusion of admin cadre people at various levels of the revenue divisions is not acceptable at all,” said an official. The work abstention will continue from 10 am to 3 pm on Thursday and again from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday. NBR staff announce 3-day work abstention protesting ‘secret’ split decision For the past several weeks, NBR officials have been protesting, demanding the removal of the provision that allows administrative cadre officers to be appointed under the new law. The legislation, which divides the NBR into two separate entities—the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division—has become a major point of contention. The government formed the NBR Reform Committee on October 9 last year, comprising former NBR chairmen Muhammad Abdul Mazid and Nasiruddin Ahmed, along with former members Delwar Hossain and Aminur Rahman. The ordinance was reportedly published secretly at midnight on Monday. Under the new law, the government may appoint any suitably qualified government officer as secretary or senior secretary of the newly created Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Divisions. NBR spilt into 2 divisions to overhaul tax system: Govt

The NBR Unity Council, a platform of officers and employees from Customs, VAT and Income Tax wings of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), on Tuesday announced a three-day work abstention beginning tomorrow (Wednesday). The protest comes in response to the government’s decision to split the NBR, allegedly bypassing the recommendations of the NBR Reform Committee. NBR spilt into 2 divisions to overhaul tax system: Govt Additional Commissioner Sadhan Kumar Kundu announced the programme following a sit-in demonstration held in front of the NBR headquarters. According to him, the work abstention will take place from 10am to 1pm on Wednesday, 10am to 3pm on Thursday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday. Joint Commissioners Monalisa Shahrin Susmita and Fazle Elahi also addressed the gathering. The sit-in began at 4pm. During the protest, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman left the premises to attend a meeting elsewhere. The NBR Unity Council wanted the ordinance to be cancelled as the report of the NBR Advisory Reform Committee was not made public and the discussions the committee had with the Unity were not reflected in the ordinance. They also alleged that there were no discussions with the relevant stakeholders. As per the decision, international passenger services, budget activities and export activities will remain out of the purview of the work abstention programme. For the past few weeks, NBR officials have been staging protests demanding that the provision allowing admin cadre officials to be appointed under the new law be scrapped. The law, which splits the NBR into two entities -- Revenue Policy Division and Revenue Management Division-- has become a point of contention. The government formed the NBR Reform Committee on October 9 last year, comprising former NBR chairmen Muhammad Abdul Mazid and Nasiruddin Ahmed, and former members Delwar Hossain and Aminur Rahman. The ordinance was published secretly at midnight yesterday (Monday). Under the new law, the government can appoint any suitably qualified government officer as secretary or senior secretary of the newly formed Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Divisions. Besides, the Customs, Excise and Value Added Tax Appellate Tribunal and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal will now fall under the Revenue Policy Division of the Finance Ministry. The interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, recently approved the draft law to divide NBR into Revenue Policy Division and Revenue Management Division. As per the law, various posts in the Revenue Policy and Management Divisions will be filled by officers with experience in income tax, value added tax, customs, economics, business administration, research and statistics, administration, audit and accounting, and legal work. According to the law, it is necessary to separate the government's revenue policy formulation activities and revenue collection management activities. It mentioned that it is appropriate and necessary to establish a Revenue Policy Division and a Revenue Management Division by restructuring the existing structure to increase transparency, accountability and dynamism of revenue collection activities. “Various posts in the administrative division of the Revenue Management Division will be filled from the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) cadre and employees working in the Revenue Management Department,” the proposed law says. Whereas Parliament is in a state of dissolution and it appears to the President to his satisfaction that the circumstances exist which require immediate action, the President, by virtue of the powers conferred by Article 93(1) of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, will promulgate the Ordinance, which will be called The Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, 2025. After the promulgation of this Ordinance, the Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, establish a new division called the Revenue Policy Division, which shall be under the Ministry of Finance. Govt abolishes NBR, splits it into two new revenue divisions  

Workers of Khulna Divisional Tank-lorry Sramik Union have been observing a work abstention since Monday morning in protest against the arrest of union general secretary Ali Azam in a sabotage case. Moreover, the collection of fuel from three depots in Khulna and supply to 16 districts under Khulna division has been suspended. The workers started demonstrating in front of the divisional office of the union in Khulna’s Khalishpur at 7am on Monday. As of filing this report till 12apm the protest and work abstention were going on. Detectives arrested the workers’ leader on Sunday and handed over to Khalishpur police station. He is an identified accused in a sabotage case filed on August 21 last. Protesting the arrest, the workers refrained from loading fuel from Padma, Meghna and Jauma depots. Read: Attacks on doctors: BMA Ctg unit announces work abstention on Sunday, Monday The workers threatened that they wouldn’t return to work until Ali Azama was freed. Echoing the workers’ demand, the union’s President Mir Moksed Ali alleged that Ali was arrested in a conspiratorial case and they would continue the movement unless he was released. Khulna city Detective Branch’s Officer-in-Charge Taimur Islam said Ali Azam is an identified accused in the case over the vandalism of the BNP office in Khalishpur. Locals detained him and handed over to them, he said.

Medical services at all government and private hospitals in Khulna district have been hampered since this morning as doctors went on a 24-hour work abstention protesting the attack on a fellow physician. The doctors at outpatient departments of government hospitals and at private hospitals went on work abstention from 6 am today and will continue till 6 am tomorrow. On February 25, Dr Sheikh Nishat Abdullah, head of Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital was physically assaulted, allegedly by a patient’s relatives including Assistant Sub-inspector Naim posted in Satkhira district police, at a nursing home in Sheikhpara of Khulna city during surgery. Protesting the attack, Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Khulna decided to observe 24-hour work abstention from this morning to Thursday morning. Also read: Workers of 8 municipalities go on work abstention; services halted in Natore Dr Sheikh Baharul Alam, president of BMA Khulna unit, announced the work abstention programme while speaking at a press briefing at Kazi Azharul Haque Auditorium on Tuesday. While reading out the statement, Dr Baharul also demanded the arrest of the attackers.    

The intern doctors of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) have gone on work abstention from Wednesday following a clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) that left five of them injured on Tuesday. No interns have joined their work on Wednesday, causing immense sufferings to the patients who came to the hospital for treatment. Without any prior notice, the interns have gone on work abstention, said sources at the college. Later, a meeting was held between the interns and deputy commissioner (north) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) at the office of the director of the hospital but no fruitful decision has come. Dr Tazwar Rahman Ayan, member secretary of CMCH Intern Association, said,  “We have placed three-point demand before the meeting, but they failed to reach any decision. That’s why we’ll continue our programme.” Also read: Interns stage work abstention at Mitford protesting 2-yr internship At least five people, including two interns, were injured in a clash between two factions of BCL in front of the main gate of the campus over a trifling matter on Tuesday night. Also read: Coronavirus: RMCH interns abstain from work over safety concern Two interns --Dr Habibur Rahman and Dr Osman Gani -- were among the injured.

Doctors at all government and private hospitals went on work abstention on Wednesday afternoon demanding swift arrest of the killers of a doctor.

A section of Islamic University Officers’ Association (IUOA) observed work abstention for the third consecutive day to press for their 13-point charter of demands on the campus in Kushtia on Wednesday.

Workers of nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jashore continued their fast-unto-death for the third consecutive day on Tuesday.

Workers of nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jashore continued their fast-unto-death for the second consecutive day on Monday.