Marico fails to pay lawful dues
Business Desk :
Allegations have been raised that Marico Bangladesh Limited has failed to pay the lawful dues of its former employees amounting to BDT 1,822.98 crore, comprising the 5 per cent Workers’ Profit Participation Fund (for the period from 2006 to 2013) and the investment income accrued on the said fund up to the year 2025, covering a total period of 17 years.
In a statement, Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, General Secretary of the Ex-Mariconian Association, alleged that: Despite the lapse of 17 years, Marico Bangladesh Limited has been deliberately failing, on various pretexts, to pay the lawful dues amounting to BDT 1,822.98 crore to its former employees.
Under Sections 234 and 240(3) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, the former employees are fully entitled, as a matter of law, to receive the Workers’ Profit Participation Fund and the investment income generated therefrom.
It is extremely unfortunate that this legally mandated amount has not yet been paid, causing severe financial and mental distress to the affected former employees.
He further alleged that: In all ongoing cases against the company, Marico Bangladesh Limited has, for the past 11 years, intentionally delayed judicial proceedings by seeking repeated adjournments and adopting various dilatory tactics instead of cooperating with the due process of law, thereby subjecting the former employees to prolonged judicial harassment, said a press release.
Following complaints lodged by the former employees, the Labour Wing of the Ministry of Labour and Employment initiated a meeting to discuss the outstanding investment income of the fund for the last 17 years.
The meeting was scheduled to be held on 20 January 2026 in the presence of concerned ministry officials, respective Directors General, representatives of the former employees, and representatives of Marico Bangladesh Limited.
However, no representative of Marico Bangladesh Limited attended the meeting, which reflects the company’s irresponsible and non-cooperative attitude.
It is noteworthy that Marico Bangladesh Limited has been a profitable company since its inception.
The company possessed substantial paid-up capital and significant fixed assets. Despite being a profitable enterprise and fulfilling all statutory conditions under the labour laws, the company failed to constitute the Workers’ Profit Participation Fund and the Workers’ Welfare Fund for the period from 2006 to 2013, thereby violating the provisions of the Bangladesh Labour Act.
Although Marico Bangladesh Limited subsequently constituted the said funds in 2014 (based on the fiscal year 2013-14) and declared profit participation for workers, the lawful dues for the earlier period from 2006 to 2013 were never paid to the former employees.
As a result, those employees who served the company during that period were deprived of their rightful and lawful entitlements.
The complaint further states that, due to the non-formation of the fund during the said period, the company utilized the 5% net profit belonging to the workers for its own business operations.
In accordance with Section 240(3) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, and based on the audit certificate issued by a reputed Chartered Accountant firm of Bangladesh, the total amount payable to the workers up to March 2025 stands at BDT 1,822.98 crore, which is payable by Marico Bangladesh Limited to the former employees.
The former employees are legally entitled to receive this amount on a proportionate basis, depending on the duration of their respective service periods.
The Ex-Mariconian Association has strongly demanded immediate and effective intervention by the concerned authorities to ensure the prompt payment of the lawful and legitimate dues of the former employees.