Demand Release of Detainees & Case Withdrawal; GP Disputes BDT 33 Crore Payout Claims
Former Grameenphone Workers Demand Dues, Call for Reforms
The 'Grameenphone 5% Delayed Arrears Realization Unity Council' held a press conference demanding the settlement of 5% delayed arrears from 2010-2012 and proposed a consumer and worker-friendly transformation of GP The 'Grameenphone 5% Delayed Arrears Realization Unity Council,' a platform of former officers and employees of Grameenphone (GP), has announced a series of programs aimed at forming a worker, consumer, and public-friendly telecommunication company During the briefing, organizers revealed that police disrupted their scheduled peaceful mass sit-in program in front of Grameenphone House on the morning of June 30 and detained several protesters The former employees claimed that under a specific provision of the Bangladesh Labor Act, calculating a 75% delayed interest rate on GP's annual dividends entitles each of the 4,000 affected workers to over BDT 33 crore (totaling around BDT 33,147 crore) Adiba Zerin Chowdhury, the Communications Secretary of the council, stated that even if that stringent legal clause is not strictly applied, each worker is still legally entitled to at least BDT 22 crore Grameenphone, however, strongly disputed both the financial calculations and the legal interpretations, labeling them completely erroneous Responding to the allegations, Sharfuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Head of Communications at Grameenphone, clarified the company's position.
He said that a group of former Grameenphone employees had gathered on several occasions over the past few months in front of GP House and at a number of other locations to press various employment-related demands.
"To our knowledge, most of them left the company several years ago and received all benefits due to them in accordance with the law. The demands they have raised are currently sub judice and are being considered by the competent court. We believe these matters will be resolved fairly through the legal process in the near future," he said.
He further alleged that Grameenphone and its employees had been subjected to threats and intimidation.
"We have also observed various incidents involving threats and intimidation directed at Grameenphone and its employees. Under these circumstances, Grameenphone has been compelled to seek appropriate legal remedies to ensure the safety and security of its employees and company assets," he said.
However, Adiba Zerin, one of the former Grameenphone employees leading the movement, alleged that the company strategically withdrew a writ petition it had filed against the government in 2023 at a time when the court was close to delivering a final verdict. Countering this statement, she explained that GP only paid the principal amount, while the matter of interest was explicitly left to the court's final verdict "Just as we were nearing the court's final judgment, the company strategically withdrew its writ petition against the government in 2023. As a result, the legal course of the case changed, disrupting a judicial process that had been ongoing for a long time," she claimed.
Former employees of GP argue that the withdrawal of the writ automatically reinstated the original 2010 government order, making them eligible for interest, leading over 1,000 former workers to file separate lawsuits in the Labor Court The root of the dispute dates back to October 2010, when a government order brought mobile operators under the Labor Act, making the establishment of a workers' profit participation fund mandatory The colossal interest claim submitted by the workers in the Labor Court significantly exceeds the historic $1 billion audit dispute between Grameenphone and the government involving BTRC To ensure sustainable growth and public welfare in the telecom sector, the council presented a 6-point proposal Formulate an expansion plan to generate employment for approximately 20,000 people within the next year Regularize long-serving third-party workers under a fair policy based on the nature of their duties Ensure labor rights, job security, and fair benefits for employees working in distribution houses Secure customer-friendly services by reducing call rates, cutting mobile data prices, and extending data validity Ensure higher investments in healthcare, education, skill development, and public welfare under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strengthen a responsible corporate culture by paying all valid taxes and VAT to the state on time //DBTech/AZ/IH// 
