Sacked SIBL officials demonstrate on Ctg-Cox’s Bazar highway demanding reinstatement

Around 200-300 former Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) officials, who were recently sacked from their positions, demonstrated today (24 November) by briefly blocking the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway in Karnaphuli upazila of Chattogram, demanding their reinstatement.

The 30-minute blockade had started at around 9:30am in the upazila's Maizzartek area, creating heavy gridlock on the highway for a while, Karnaphuli Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monir Hossain told The Business Standard.

"They lifted the blockade at around 10am. The situation is currently normal," he added.

During the blockade, the officials chanted various slogans, including "No place for discrimination in our Bangladesh", "We will fight if needed but will get our jobs back", and "One point, one demand - we want jobs".

Talking to the media, the sacked officials said they had worked hard so that the bank could make a turnaround during the crisis period in the last three months.

"We had worked from 10am till 10pm. But our jobs have been taken away with just one notice. We want our jobs back," said an aggrieved official.

On 31 October, SIBL authorities sacked a total of 672 officials from their positions. The decision was notified via emails, and later dismissal letters were handed over to those who were present at the bank on that day.

On condition of anonymity, a senior official of the bank confirmed to TBS that these employees, all of whom hail from S Alam Group owner's home district Chattogram, were appointed by the previous board without issuing any circulars.

The official also said the previous board did not assess the terminated employees' certificates and did not even take any tests.

Following the fall of Awami League government on 5 August, the central bank dissolved the board of directors of SIBL.