Chevron Bangladesh’s recent firing of 48 workers is a violation of labour laws, employees alleged yesterday. The sacked workers said they had been terminated for no reason and without prior notice.
Workers said the termination decision, implemented by a local vendor, lacked transparency and came after they had moved a labour court over the terms of their employment by Chevron.
“We filed a case with the First Labour Court in Dhaka to receive permanent appointment letters and benefits because we have served Chevron for 11 years,” Saiful Islam Shahid, the president of Chevron Bangladesh Blocks Thirteen and Fourteen Ltd Sramik Karmachari Union (Applied), said at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.
After employees moved the labour court, Chevron Bangladesh, the country’s largest gas producing company, terminated 48 employees working as drivers, through an SMS sent by their vendor, Property Care Services Bangladesh Pvt Ltd (PCS), Saiful said.
Chevron Communications Manager (External Affairs) Shaikh Jahidur Rahman said Chevron complies with all applicable rules and regulations.
He added that Chevron respects the rights of workers to form or join trade unions and takes no action to obstruct the exercise of those rights.
After the case was filed, the court issued a notice against Chevron Bangladesh Blocks Thirteen and Fourteen Ltd on May 21.
The court ordered Chevron not to transfer, harass, stop salary payments to or terminate the employees.
The drivers who were sacked used to work directly for Chevron but after PCS’ appointment to recruit workers for Chevron two months ago, workers said they were forced to sign new contracts with PCS, Saiful said.
He says that transferring their contracts was unlawful.
Saying the process of termination was not transparent, Saiful requested Chevron to scrap the termination orders without further delay.
Saiful claimed Security Director Hasnian Choudhury, Facilitator Manager Anisur Rahman, Field Manager Sajol Kumar Barua, and Transport Officer Md Jakir Hossain were behind the termination decision.
But PCS manager Humayun Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “Chevron asked me to terminate the employees and we implemented the decision.”
Saiful, himself among the sacked workers, said: “The US claims to advocate for workers’ rights and yet they cancelled Bangladesh’s GSP benefits. And how is it that an American company like Chevron can come to Bangladesh and violate workers’ rights?
“To give an example of Chevron’s treatment of workers, our waiting room is located 30 feet under the ground in the third level of the basement, where the lack of oxygen makes it difficult to breathe.”
Chevron Bangladesh entities are subsidiaries of US-based Chevron Corporation, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. The company produces natural gas from the three fields of Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar in north-eastern Bangladesh.
