GSK employees demand reopening of factory

Employees of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Bangladesh yesterday demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision of shutting down its medicine manufacturing unit at Foujdarhat of Sitakunda upazila and sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's intervention to resume its operation for the sake of the country.

During a press conference at Chittagong Press Club, leaders of GlaxoSmithKline Employees Union termed the closure “an act of conspiracy”. They opposed the authorities' claim that the company has been incurring losses for several years and said GSK earned a net profit of 351.79 crore in five years till 2017. 

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Over 200 employees of the factory also formed a human chain and demonstrated in front of Chittagong Press Club for two hours till noon.

Reading out a written statement, GSK Employees Union general secretary Mohamad Azam alleged that several crores of money was spent unnecessarily just two years back in the name of modernisation and compliance. Its aim was to show less profit on the log and create the ground for shutting down the unit, he said

He blamed a group of foreign officials of the company including its former managing director Erum Shakir Rahim for executing the “evil plan” of shifting the company's business from Bangladesh in the name of doing business review.

As part of the plan, the import of raw materials was slowed down from before while marketing of medicines which were in the storage was stopped, he said.

Mohammed Elias, president of the union, said over 1,000 permanent employees and around 300 temporary workers would be affected by the factory closure, while people of the country would be deprived of quality medicines it produces.

Terming the claim about incurring losses “false”, Elias said GSK racked in Tk 66.93 crore worth of profit in 2017.

Expressing solidarity with the movement of GSK Employees Union, Jatiya Sramik League Joint Secretary Safar Ali at the conference threatened to wage tougher movement unless the factory is reopened immediately.

Bangladesh Trade Union Federation's Chittagong unit president Tapan Dutta, its joint secretary Iftekhar Kamal Khan and GSK Employees Union legal adviser advocate Jane Alam were present at the conference among others.