Violating labour laws: Charges framed against Yunus, 3 others

Tue Jun 6, 2023 02:20 PM
Last update on: Tue Jun 6, 2023 02:23 PM

Prof Muhammad Yunus. File photo

A labour court in Dhaka today framed charges against Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, also chairman of Grameen Telecom, and its three other top officials in a case filed over violating labour laws.

The three other accused are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, and two directors Nur Jahan Begum and Mohammad Shahjahan.

Judge Sheikh Merina Sultana of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka passed the order, Barrister Khaja Tanvir Ahmed, a defence lawyer, told The Daily Star.

SM Arifuzzaman, a labour inspector (general) of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department, filed the case with the Third Labour Court of Dhaka on September 9 of 2021.

Accepting the case, the judge asked Prof Yunus, Ashraful, Nur Jahan and Shahjahan to appear before the court on October 12 that year, he said.

According to the case documents, officials of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department on August 16, 2021 inspected the office of Grameen Telecom in the capital’s Mirpur and found some violations of labour laws.

On August 19 the same year, the department sent a letter to the authorities of Grameen Telecom, mentioning that 67 employees were supposed to be made permanent but they were not, the case statement said.

The employee’s participation fund and welfare fund are yet to be formed. Besides, 5 percent of the company’s dividends was supposed to be paid to the workers but it was not paid, it added.