Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government has issued a firm directive requiring all striking tax and customs officials to resume their duties immediately, following a two-day walkout that has crippled operations at ports and disrupted critical revenue services nationwide.
In a statement released on Sunday, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus warned of serious consequences if workers failed to comply. “All government employees involved in revenue and customs must return to work without delay and desist from any activities detrimental to the national interest,” the statement read. While no specifics were provided, the government made it clear that failure to adhere could lead to punitive action.
The impact of the strike has been particularly acute at Chittagong Port, the country’s primary maritime trade gateway, where customs procedures have ground to a halt. The government emphasized that import-export operations are vital to economic stability and cannot be allowed to stall.
All positions within the National Board of Revenue (NBR) have now been designated as essential services, reinforcing the administration’s stance on uninterrupted functionality of the tax and customs apparatus.
The unrest stems from a May 12 decree by the Yunus administration that announced the dissolution of the existing NBR structure and the establishment of new revenue divisions. Officials claim the reforms were presented under the banner of modernization and efficiency, aiming to eliminate redundancy and improve oversight in tax administration.
However, many employees have raised alarm over job insecurity and the erosion of institutional autonomy, accusing the government of rushing through the restructuring without adequate consultation. Their demands include adjustments to the new framework and the immediate resignation of the current NBR chairman.
In response, tax and customs staff initiated a full-scale nationwide shutdown on Saturday, paralyzing revenue collection and raising concerns among the business community.
Industry leaders have expressed deep unease over the strike’s fallout, warning that continued disruption could break supply chains, stall imports and exports, and threaten the country’s already fragile economic recovery.
“If this impasse continues, we risk seeing a sharp decline in trade and foreign investor trust, both of which are vital right now,” one business leader noted.
The latest crisis comes at a time of rising political tension. The caretaker government of Muhammad Yunus, which assumed power following mass student-led demonstrations that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina into exile in India, is struggling to maintain public confidence amid a wave of bureaucratic resistance and street-level dissent.
With the economy facing mounting challenges and institutional restructuring proving controversial, the tax strike is shaping into a critical early test for the interim regime’s authority and reform agenda.