Grameenphone employees stranded till midnight amid HQ blockade by former employees

A group of former Grameenphone (GP) workers under the banner "Unity Council of Laid-Off and Deprived Grameenphone Workers," continued their protests at the telecom operator's head office in the capital on Tuesday.

They demand a 5% share of the company profits during their job in GP and penalties for the delay, according to a press statement by the unity council.

The GP workers, laid-off in phases in the past decade, have been organizing such programs since 2 December. 

Several senior Grameenphone employees said that they endured immense suffering as they were locked inside the office until midnight (5th Feb) due to the demonstration by former staff demanding unpaid dues. 

According to them, the protesters blockaded the entry and exit points of the headquarters. The prolonged standoff caused significant distress and took a toll on the stranded employees' health, with some falling sick. Emergency medical assistance was required, and some employees had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after suffering hours of confinement.

At the gathering, labor leaders said, GP filed a writ petition in 2010 for not sharing 5% of its profit with workers. Amid protests and a court ruling in 2014 it paid the principal amount of the profit shares in 2015, according to the statement undersigned by the forum's convener Abu Sadat Mohammad Shoyeb.

However, the labour law-outlined penalties for delay were not paid and the sum expected by around 3,300 former permanent GP workers kept rising over years, said GP Employees Union (GPEU) Communication Secretary Adeeba zerin told TBS.

"For the past two months, our brothers have stood their ground in front of GP House, demanding what is rightfully ours. Management should talk to them and solve this long pending issue," GPEU Vice President Rasulul Amin Murad said.

GP said in a statement on Tuesday, "Some former employees of GP have been gathering in front of the GP House over the last few days, raising various demands relating to employment and benefits."

"To our knowledge, most of them separated from GP long ago and have received their lawful entitlements. Also, the demands that are being raised by these individuals are currently subject matters of various cases before the courts."

"GP has high regard for the judicial process. Therefore, any legal proceedings will eventually be resolved through the court systems."

While GP respects the right of peaceful association, these individuals have been blocking the entry and exit ways of GP premises illegally, causing hindrance to free movement of our employees and customers, the company said.

"GP respects the law of the land and considers the safety and security of its employees and customers as its highest priority. Law enforcement agencies have deployed themselves around GP premises to protect individuals and property," it added.