Government clears revised public job ordinance ignoring demands for full repeal

Public servants’ demands for full repeal lose ground amid internal disagreements

The Advisory Council has approved a proposal to revise the controversial Government Service (Amendement) Ordinance, 2025 discounting objections from government employees.

The decision was made during a council meeting presided over by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday, according to a Cabinet Division media statement.

“The Government Service (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 has been given final approval, subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division,” it read.

The original ordinance, approved on May 25, introduced provisions allowing disciplinary action against government employees with one month’s notice for offences such as absenteeism, misconduct, and breach of discipline.

The move provoked weeks of demonstrations and blockades as staff rallied at the Secretariat in protest.

The movement, however, lost pace last week due to internal conflicts among protest organisers.

Though employees called for a full repeal, the Yunus government opted for an amendment instead.

At the same meeting, the council also approved a proposal to sign the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management to ensure better regulation of nuclear energy and radioactive waste in the country.