No bar to continue case against Dr Yunus in labour court: HC

The High court (HC) on Wednesday discharged a rule issued last year, clearing the way for trial proceedings of a case filed in a Dhaka labour court against former chairman of Grameen Communications Ltd and Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

The bench of Justice SM Kuddus Zaman and Justice Fahmida Quader handed out the verdict discharging the HC rule issued last December that stayed the case proceedings against Muhammad Yunus and three others for six months. 

The labour ministry later filed an application with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court  seeking a stay order on last year's HC order. During a hearing on the appeal on 13 June, the Appellate Division issued an order to dispose of the matter while also staying the case proceedings for another two months.

The Directorate of Factories and Institutions of Dhaka on 9 September 2021 filed a case against four people– Grameen Telecom's former chairman Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, Directors Noor Jahan Begum and Shahjahan over the allegations of labour law violations. 

Arifuzzaman, labour inspector of the Department of Factories and Institutions filed this case in the Third Labor Court of Dhaka. The court had issued summons for the defendants to appear in court, all of whom pleaded the case separately.

According to the case statement, officials of the Department of Factories and Institutions found violations of labour laws during an inspection of Grameen Telecom. 

The allegations include not regularising 101 workers, not constituting the Workers' Participation Fund and Welfare Fund, and not providing 5% of the company's dividend to the workers.