Officials of Islami Bank Bangladesh have announced a boycott of a newly introduced “special competency assessment” exam, fearing it could lead to thousands of job losses.

Several hundred employees from across the country formed a human chain. They held a protest rally outside the Chattogram Press Club on Friday, demanding the cancellation of the test scheduled for tomorrow.

Protesters alleged that the exam was designed to pave the way for layoffs, claiming as many as 5,500 officials from the Chattogram region alone could lose their jobs. They also argued the move defied a High Court order directing the bank to hold regular promotional tests instead.

According to the circular, staff who fail to attend the exam would forfeit opportunities for career advancement or even continued employment.

Speakers at the rally, including Mohammad Iskandar Sujon, SM Emdad Hossain, and Dilruba Akhter, urged government intervention to ensure job security.

The demonstrators later handed a memorandum to Liberation War Affairs and Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk-e-Azam, who assured them he would raise the issue with the government and bank management.

The employees demanded the immediate withdrawal of the exam and guarantees that no jobs would be cut.