SL Group ‘lay off’ workers without prior notice

Without any regard for the laws and regulations, SL Steel Ship Breaking Yard owned by SL Group has allegedly laid off five workers with near-immediate effect recently as the company was going through slump in business.

The company, situated at Madam Bibir Hat area of Sitakundu in Chattogram, gave the employees- foremen and supervisors- no prior notice or the salary they are owed, the retrenched workers said in condition of anonymity fearing reprisal.

One of the laid off workers said, “In October, out of the blue, they asked us to stop going to work from November.. No prior notice was given.

“They offered us less than our stipulated salary. We refused to take it. Then they told us to look for another job without even giving any time.”

“I worked here for so many years. If they even offered us a few months’ salary before the lay off and promised us to take back if situation improves within a few months, I would have taken the money. I could find a bit of solace.

“But what they are doing now only pains me”.

When asked about the reason for the retrenchment, the authorities failed to come up with a proper explanation. 

Another worker at the company said, “I get Tk 16,000 as salary. Then they offered us to work on Tk 9,000 from November. When we refused the offer, they, on October 24, initially asked six workers to not come to work from next month. Four days later, they formally announced their decision.”

However, Mohammad Lokman, chairman of SL Group, talking to The Business Post denied the allegation made by the workers. He said “Our shipyard has been getting no work for the last eight months. Yet, we have been paying salaries to the workers for a long time.

“They were asked to look for jobs elsewhere three months ago. But they now say they are being fired without notice.”

“Their allegations are not true,” he said.

In the meantime, the sudden loss of jobs has left the workers, some of whom have been working at the company for over a decade, confused and helpless.

They said as the market is volatile right now, they are finding new jobs putting them and their families at risk. 

They also said they will not not accept the offered salary without talking to the authorities. Company owners had promised to hold a meeting on Sunday to that end, but it did not take place.

The workers said company authorities violated the labour law in laying them off. However, the workers have not filed any complaint to authorities concerned. They are giving time to the owners of the company to rethink their decision.

If the matter is not addressed, necessary actions will be taken, they warned.

According to the Article 20 of Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, a worker must be given one month’s notice in case of retrenchment. A worker is owed one month’s basic salary for each working year. In special cases of lay off, workers are also owed compensation.

The law also states that lay off must begin with employees who joined the company last. Also, if the company recruits again within a year of laying off workers, those who lost the job must be prioritised.

Complaining that the six workers were laid off without any respect, Ship Breaking Workers’ Trade Union Forum (SBWTUF) Convener Tapan Dutta said workers should be laid off in accordance with the law. But the owner had no regard for the law.

“It is stated in the law how to lay off workers when there is no work. Workers need to be given a month’s notice and four months’ salary. One more month’s salary must be paid if no notice is given.

“These laid off workers have worked with full dedication. They are owed the arrears, but they did not get it.”

The workers said they did not get their salary for the month of October till yesterday (Sunday).

They said they will not accept the month’s salary if compensation is not given along with it.