Public servants won’t be forced to retire

The Advisory Council has decided to abolish a provision of the Public Service Act, 2018, which allows the government to send public servants into forced retirement after 25 years of service.

Additionally, a four-member panel of advisers has been assigned to further review several aspects of the proposed Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, including a possible relaxation of some newly introduced disciplinary provisions.

These decisions were made yesterday at the 29th meeting of the Advisory Council, held at the office of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Two highly placed sources in the government confirmed the development to The Daily Star.

“There are four types of major penalties under the Public Service Act-2018. Among them, forced retirement is widely criticised,” a highly placed source in the government told this correspondent last night.

Earlier, the Public Administration Reform Commission also recommended repealing this provision, and the Advisory Council has now directed that it be abolished.

“Now, the Legislative Division will review the matter, and after taking opinions from the four responsible advisers, the next steps will be taken. If the decision is implemented, the number of major penalties will be reduced from four to three.”

After assuming office, the interim government has sent dozens of officials from the civil administration and police into forced retirement. Rumours are rife at the Secretariat that more such actions may be on the cards.

Amid this backdrop, the government has moved to finalise the “Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025”.

Stakeholders believe this marks the beginning of a major reform in the country’s civil service sector.

Under the existing Public Service Act, 2018, the government retains the authority to retire any government employee without justification, as long as the individual has completed 25 years of service. In such cases, the employee is entitled to full retirement benefits along with other applicable entitlements. Additionally, any government employee may voluntarily resign after 25 years of service and still receive full retirement benefits without needing to provide a reason.

The draft of the “Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025” proposes that government employees may be dismissed without an inquiry for allegations such as unauthorised absence, spreading discontent among colleagues, or breach of discipline.

The process would involve issuing two separate notices — one with a five-day deadline and another with a three-day deadline.

The Advisory Council has recommended extending the notice period to two phases of seven working days each, totalling 14 working days, according to sources.

However, it will be determined after a meeting of the four responsible advisers whether the amended draft will be presented again before the Advisory Council or sent to the President for promulgation as an ordinance after informing the Council.

According to a source, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, who is now abroad, will further scrutinise the proposed draft along with Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan.

TWO NEW DRAFT ORDINANCES

The Advisory Council, at yesterday’s meeting, gave final approval — subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division — to two draft ordinances:

The Protection and Conservation of Fish (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 and The Welfare and Rehabilitation of Families of Martyrs and Injured Protesters of the July Uprising Ordinance, 2025.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Cabinet Division said that several reform commission recommendations have been forwarded to the respective ministries.

The Advisory Council has instructed the Cabinet Division to coordinate and present updates on the ministries’ actions in response to these recommendations during regular meetings of the Advisory Council.

Additionally, the Advisory Council has approved a proposal for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Bangladesh and the Government of the Netherlands regarding cooperation in naval defence equipment.