All cases against Dr Yunus, Grameen Telecom withdrawn

All cases filed against Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and his organisation Grameen Telecom have been withdrawn by the latter's employees from the courts concerned after they reached a settlement over the claim of payments.

Advocate Md Yousuf Ali, a lawyer for Grameen Telecom workers, told The Daily Star that his clients had filed 104 cases with the labour courts and six cases with the High Court, claiming over Tk 437 crore as due payments.

"As Grameen Telecom management has agreed to pay the money, all 176 workers and employees have instructed us to withdraw the cases, and accordingly, we have withdrawn all the cases," he said.

The HC bench of Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, today, also dismissed the petition filed by the workers and employees seeking liquidation of Grameen Telecom after the lawyers for both parties informed the bench about the out of court settlement of the issue.  

Lawyer Mustafizur Rahman Khan, who appeared for Grameen Telecom, told our correspondent that the telecom's officials and workers have been demanding a part of the profits of the company under the Labour Law for the last 10 to 12 years and they had filed cases with labour court and HC over their claims.

"Last month the management and the employees of Grameen Telecom reached a mutual understanding over the claims. Some of the money has been paid to them already. Accordingly, all the cases filed against the company and Professor Yunus have been withdrawn," he added.