Ex-employees of GP raise claims over rights violations

NN Online:

The Grameenphone Terminated and Rights-Deprived Workers Unity Council has accused Grameenphone (GP) Limited of conducting “unlawful” layoffs and violating workers’ labour rights. The council claims that the company’s actions have led to unjust treatment of its employees.

Council’s Convener Abu Sadat Mohammad Shoaib brought the allegations against the company at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka and demanded justice.

He accused Grameenphone of exploiting loopholes in the law to consistently deny workers their rights.

While the company positions itself as law-abiding, Shoaib alleged that it has been subtly violating labour laws withholding workers’ dues, wrongfully terminating employees, and misusing the judicial system to prolong legal disputes, thereby wasting workers’ time and energy in lengthy court battles, he said.

Grameenphone Limited, one of Bangladesh’s leading telecom companies, has increasingly come under scrutiny for its treatment of workers, said the convener.

Shoaib claimed that over the last decade, Grameenphone has reduced its permanent workforce by 70 per cent, now employing just 1,200 permanent workers.

During this process, workers have reportedly been coerced into voluntary retirement, subjected to mental stress, and denied their legal entitlements.

He said in 2012, around 180 workers were terminated for attempting to form a trade union.

Since 2015, the company has used a “voluntary retirement” scheme to pressure workers into resigning. In 2021, despite government directives, 180 workers were dismissed during the Covid-19 pandemic, said the council.

Grameenphone, despite being a profitable company, has terminated approximately 3,300 workers through various means in an effort to maximise profits, the council claimed at the press.

Under the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006, workers are entitled to 5 per cent of the company’s profits.

Grameenphone has violated this law and failed to pay workers their dues, even after a High Court ruling ordered timely distribution and penalties for delays, they said.

The terminated workers, without alternative job opportunities, have faced social humiliation and financial instability, Shoeb said, adding the company’s refusal to pay dues, coupled with legal tactics to avoid responsibility, has left many workers vulnerable.

Shoaib also highlighted the mental harassment workers faced during the layoff process.

The press conference concluded with a call for justice and accountability from the telecom giant.