The government of Bangladesh has ordered tax and customs workers who are on strike to return to work immediately. Tax and customs workers in Bangladesh have been on strike for two days. They stopped work in response to a government order to dissolve the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and establish new agencies to collect state revenue. The government said the change was decided to further strengthen and modernize the revenue collection process.
However, many NBR employees have expressed concerns about job security and the potential loss of institutional independence. They have been calling for changes to the newly proposed structure. Additionally, they have been demanding the resignation of the NBR chairperson. The strike began on June 28 across all regions of Bangladesh, calling for these demands. Due to the strike by tax and customs employees, all work related to their duties has come to a halt. Customs operations at Chittagong Port, one of Bangladesh’s main commercial hubs, have also stopped.
In response to the strike, the Bangladesh government issued a statement saying that all workers must report to work and refrain from actions that harm the national interest. The statement also warned that if workers do not return to work, the government will be forced to take strict measures to protect the public and the country’s economy. However, details of these measures were not specified. A statement from the office of Mohammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, also emphasized the need to continue import-export activities without interruption. The statement also declared that all NBR jobs are considered essential.
