Grameenphone Employees’ Union (GPEU) workers staged a symbolic protest after the sudden postponement of their first direct executive committee election following registration approval. On Sunday afternoon, more than fifty employees gathered in silent protest in front of the Grameenphone headquarters at Bashundhara, with black cloths tied over their mouths. Their banners and placards displayed slogans such as “We stand united against injustice,” “Pay outstanding dues immediately,” “Fair justice for 202 affected GP employees,” and “Justice and respect are fundamental rights.”
The protest is organized under the banner of the GPEU and Grameenphone Employees Unity Council also joined. GPEU’s founding president Omar Faruq while speaking at the protest strongly condemned at the suspension of the election based on allegations raised by Grameenphone’s management. He stated, “The election was supposed to take place across ten polling centers nationwide on December 9, with 36 candidates participating. However, the election commission postponed the process on December 6 following instructions from a Deputy Director of the Labor Office. This decision is unlawful, and we urge an immediate announcement of a new election date.”
Omar Faruq further warned of larger movements in collaboration with trade unions and federations if there were any attempts to delay the election intentionally. Addressing Grameenphone’s management, he said, “You dismissed employees on Father’s Day with an email. You have shown no humanity and blatantly defied the law. Our colleague Abu Sayeed has guided us on this path.”
The protestors demanded the immediate reinstatement of terminated employees, prompt settlement of outstanding payments, and exemplary punishment for the alleged oppressive management and union collaborators at Grameenphone.
Discussions with the protesters revealed that the election board, led by Chief Muhammad Noor E Alam and members Anamika Zaman and Md. Robiul Hasan, issued a notice on Thursday morning suspending the election. This followed objections from Grameenphone’s management, citing discrepancies in the finalized voter list. The notice was issued after a meeting held at the Labor and Employment Ministry’s Directorate office, where documents highlighting alleged irregularities in the voter list were presented.
While the notice did not explicitly identify the complainants, it mentioned Grameenphone’s management and a member of the union. Following the objections, the election commission consulted Roksana Chowdhury, Supervisory Director of the Labor Ministry, and Enamul Haque, Director of the Labor Directorate (Trade Union, Arbitration, and Training Division). The commission was directed to reflect the latest certified court decisions and orders in the voter list before conducting the election, leading to the postponement of the December 9 polls.
