All cases against Yunus, Grameen Telecom withdrawn

All 110 cases filed against Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and his organisation Grameen Telecom have been withdrawn by the organisation's workers and employees, after they reached a settlement over claims of payments.

Advocate Md Yousuf Ali, a lawyer for the workers and employees, told The Daily Star that his clients had filed 104 cases with labour courts and six with the High Court, saying that Tk 437 crore of payments are due.

"As Grameen Telecom's management has agreed to pay the money, all 176 workers and employees have instructed us to withdraw the cases, and accordingly, we have done so," he added.

He said the cases filed with the labour court have been withdrawn already. Yesterday, the High Court granted the appeal of the workers and employees to withdraw the remaining six cases filed with this court.

Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar also dismissed a petition filed by the workers and employees, seeking liquidation of the company, after the lawyers for both parties informed the bench about the out-of-court settlement.

Lawyer Mustafizur Rahman Khan, who appeared for Grameen Telecom, told this correspondent that the organisation's officials and workers have been demanding a part of the company's profits under the labour law for 10 to 12 years.

"In the last month, the management and employees reached a mutual understanding over the claim. Some of the money has already been paid to them. Accordingly, all cases filed against the company and Prof Muhammad Yunus have been withdrawn," he added.