Dhaka: Staff and officers of Bangladesh’s four state-owned commercial banks—Sonali, Rupali, Janata, and Agrani—held a human chain protest on Saturday (31 January) demanding fair and regular promotions. Participants expressed frustration over the long-standing suspension of promotion processes, citing growing uncertainty, professional disadvantage, and workplace inequality as pressing concerns.
The demonstration, organised in front of the National Press Club, drew attention to a directive issued on 14 October 2025 by the Department of Financial Institutions, which effectively froze regular promotions across the four banks. The circular instructed that no regular promotions should be granted until all supernumerary promotions had been fully integrated or reconciled.
According to the staff, the banks submitted reports to the Department of Financial Institutions on 15 October 2025 after reconciling supernumerary promotions. However, despite this step, no visible progress has been made regarding regular promotions.
Speakers at the human chain argued that there is no legal or procedural conflict between supernumerary promotions and regular promotions. They highlighted that in other government and semi-autonomous organisations, supernumerary promotions exist without suspending regular promotions. The suspension in state-owned banks, they said, is therefore unjust and discriminatory.
The staff outlined several specific demands:
| Demand | Details |
|---|---|
| 2024 Regular Promotions | To be granted based on vacant positions of the relevant year, using 31 December 2024 as the cut-off, in accordance with each bank’s internal promotion policy. |
| Supernumerary Integration | To be completed in three phases following approval of the new organisational structure. |
| 2025 Regular Promotions | To be granted using 31 December 2025 as the cut-off date, with implementation from 1 January 2026. |
| Policy Revision | Amend provisions in the “State-Owned Commercial Banks Staff Promotion Policy–2025” that disadvantage officers, or create a fair, realistic, and non-discriminatory promotion policy modelled on Bangladesh Bank. |
Speakers also stressed that no retroactive implementation should occur, and that the new promotion policy should come into effect from 1 January 2026.
Representing the staff, Md. Motaher Hossain addressed the gathering, underscoring the urgency of a transparent and equitable promotion framework. The protest saw a substantial turnout from officers and employees across all four banks, signalling widespread discontent with the current policy impasse.
The demonstration reflects growing concern among bank staff about career progression and the need for timely, legally compliant, and merit-based promotions, highlighting broader issues in governance and workforce management within state-owned financial institutions.