Staff Reporter :
All the cases filed by the employees of the Grameen Telecom against Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and his organization Grameen Telecom have been withdrawn from different courts after the parties reached in a out of court settlement over the claim of the employees.
On the same ground the company bench of the High Court division of the Supreme Court on Monday passed order dismissing a petition filed by the employees seeking liquidation of Grameen Telecom.
Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan, who appeared in the High Court hearing on behalf of the Grameen Telecom, said, “We have reached in a out of court settlement over the claim of the employees of the Grameen Telecom. On the basis of that, all the
cases filed in different courts against this company and Professor Yunus have been withdrawn.”
More thatn 176 cases were filed against Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and his organization Grameen Telecom by the members of the by ‘Grameen Telecom union of workers and employees’ over their claim, said the lawyer.
Lawyer Yousuf Ali, who appeared in the court on behalf of the employees, said, “We have reached in an agreement that about Tk 4.00 billion will be paid to the 176 employees as their dues. After that we filed a petition with the courts including the High Court to dismiss the cases filed against Professor Yunus and Grameen Telecom.”
Mr Yousuf earlier said, “The workers and the employees of the company are entitled to get 5 percent of the net profit of the Grameen Telecom as per the rule. They will get it since 2006. But the company was not giving the dues to the employees. In this circumstance, they moved the Labour Court and the High Court.”
Lawyer Mustafizur Rahman earlier said, “Grameen Telecom is a non-profit organization. The law under which the employees are demanding their dues does not apply to this organization. And if they get money, then the amount of the money is not so much that is claimed by them.”
Mahmud Hasan Feroz, Secretary of the ‘Grameen Telecom union of workers and employees’ filed a petition in February this year on behalf of the 99 members of the union seeking liquidation of Grameen Telecom.
The High Court bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar later accepted it in April for further hearing, but finally dismissed.
Without any discussion with the union the Grameen Telecom authorities laid off 99 employees through a notice. Since then dissatisfaction started among the employees. Later a writ petition was filed with the High Court challenging the notification.
Upon hearing the petitions the High Court also summoned Professor Yunus. Finally the court on April 4 in 2021 directed the authorities to reinstate the employees.
Apart from this, more other cases were filed in different times against Professor Yunus and other officials of the Grameen Telecom. The dismissal employees are basically filing those cases demanding their dues.
