Prof Yunus, 3 others sued in labour court

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, also  chairman of Grameen Telecom, and its three other top officials have been sued on charges of violating labour laws.

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

SM Arifuzzaman, a labour inspector (General) of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department, on September 9 filed the case with the Third Labour Court of Dhaka, Mia Md Jamal Uddin, bench assistant of the court, told The Daily Star.

Accepting the case, Judge Sheikh Merina Sultana asked Prof Yunus, Ashraful, Nur Jahan and Shahjahan to appear before the court on October 12, he said.

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

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