GP employees allowed to form union

Employees of Grameenphone can now form trade union to protect their labour rights, according to a court order.

The Labour Appellate Tribunal in Dhaka yesterday allowed an appeal of Grameenphone Employees' Union to this effect.

“Allowing the appeal of Grameenphone Employees' Union means the Labour Directorate must register the trade union now so that it can operate its activities officially,” Tapos Kanti Baul, a lawyer for the union, told The Daily Star yesterday.

The employees' union applied for registration in 2012 with the Labour Directorate but it rejected the application. When the union challenged the decision, Labour Court-1 upheld the Labour Directorate's decision, said AKM Nasim, another lawyer for the union.

The union then challenged the order with the Labour Appellate Tribunal, and the two-member bench of the tribunal led by its Chairman Justice Md Shamsul Huda yesterday granted the union's appeal.

“The timeframe to give registration to Grameenphone Employees' Union by the Labour Directorate can be known after the release of the full verdict.   However, as per precedence, the Labour Directorate gives registration within 30 days of receiving judgement,” he added. Mia Masud, a leader of GPEU, said they will set their next course of action after receiving the full verdict.

Abdul Baset Majumder, a lawyer who represented Grameenphone, told The Daily Star that they will challenge the judgment at the High Court as soon as possible.