Dismissed employees of five Islamic banks want jobs back

A group of terminated employees from five Islamic banks formed a human chain in front of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday, demanding reinstatement of their jobs.

They alleged that around 10,000 employees were “unfairly dismissed” from those financial institutions.

Most of the participants in the protest reportedly came from Chattogram.

The protesters claimed that a large number of officials and employees working at Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, First Security Islami Bank PLC, Union Bank PLC, Al-Arafah Islami Bank PLC, and Social Islami Bank PLC were dismissed “unjustly” after August 5, 2024.

The affected employees also submitted a memorandum to the BB governor, outlining several demands.

During the tenure of the Awami League government, these banks were under the control of the S Alam Group, a Chattogram-based conglomerate.

In 2017, the group took control of Islami Bank and Social Islami Bank and reportedly recruited a large number of employees from its home area of Patiya.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, individuals associated with the management of these banks reportedly went into hiding.

Under the interim government, the central bank dissolved and reconstituted the boards of 14 banks, including the five Islamic banks.

After taking charge, the newly formed boards verified the educational certificates of employees recruited during the Awami League era and reportedly found evidence of forged credentials in some cases.

They also arranged a test for those who had been recruited without job circulars or competitive examinations. Those who did not participate in the test subsequently lost their jobs.

However, the protesters claimed that many of the dismissed officials and employees had been performing their duties regularly for seven to eight years.

They alleged that a politically motivated group had subjected them to transfers, administrative harassment, deactivation of official IDs, and mental and physical intimidation before terminating their employment.

They said the dismissals had pushed many of them into severe financial hardship and demanded the immediate reinstatement of their jobs.