A letter issued by US congressmen alluded to the fact that Professor Yunus obtained the Congressional Gold Medal for the ‘fight against poverty’. It also mentioned Professor Yunus’ ‘pioneering work on microfinance’. However, the activities of Professor Muhammad Yunus seem not to be beyond criticism. Caught in Micro Debt, a Norwegian documentary film, accused the Grameen Bank of tax evasion.
Many politicians were awarded Nobel Peace Prizes such as Henry Kissinger who ravaged East Asia, Barack Obama who destroyed Libya, and Abiy Ahmed who later waged a civil war. Both of them repaid the Nobel Peace Prize committee by causing deaths and devastation. So the Congressional Gold Medal or Nobel Prize does not guarantee that an awardee might not commit a crime. Rather it might prove that the prizes were awarded to the wrong persons.
In the above-mentioned letter, the US Senators were not only critical of the judicial verdict against Professor Yunus but also critical of ‘an increasingly restrictive environment’. This proves that they intended not to speak for Professor Yunus but to speak against and malign the Bangladesh government.
In brief, as the US has recently been critical of the labor rights of the workers, they should help Bangladesh improve the situation of labor rights in Bangladesh, not obstruct the rule of labor law.
How Muhammad Yunus violated Bangladesh Labour Act 2006
–failure to make permanent 67 employees who were employed contractually,
–failure to form the employee’s participation and welfare funds, and
–failure to contribute five percent of the company’s dividends to this fund.
Why Dr Yunus lawyer failed to save his valued client
The lawyers of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus tried to convince the court that the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 does not apply to Grameen Telecom because they have their own rules of employment. However, section 3 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 states that an organization’s rules of employment must provide better labor rights.
However, the lawyers of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus failed to prove that the employment provisions of Grameen Telecom are better than those of the Bangladesh Labour Court 2006.
After having failed to win the case legally, the learned lawyer of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus falsely alleged that the documents of the case were not provided even after multiple requests and therefore they cannot file an appeal to the Labour Appellate Tribunal against the judgment of the Third Labour Court. However, the fact of the matter is that the only document they need for filing an appeal is a certified copy of the verdict which has been provided. Even in defence of his client the lawyear distributed letter in court premises , further manifesting his client focuses less on evidence and believes more in foreign intervention to subvert judiciary
He also distributed the printed copies of the letter written by the 12 US Senators on the court pr, a clear pointer that shows desparate efforts to stand against labour right
Is Dr Yunus above the law
It is a matter of contention whether Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is above the law.
In a High Court ruling against the Attorney-General (1977), Lord Denning wrote, “To every subject of this land, however powerful, I would use Thomas Fuller’s words over three hundred years ago, ‘Be ye never so high, the law is above you.” Bangladesh still needs to perfect the rule of law. That does not spare Professor Muhammad Yunus. Every big fish should be caught and brought before the court. The process has started. Bangladesh tried war criminals and killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his innocent family members. Bangladesh is attempting to come out of the culture of indemnity and impunity.