Field technicians and office staff of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) formed a human chain, staged a demonstration in front of the Shram Bhaban in Bijoynagar, and submitted a memorandum to the Labour and Employment Ministry today, demanding permanent employment.
The demonstration, organized by the BATB Field Technician and Office Staff Workers Welfare Union, was followed by the submission of a memorandum to the Labour and Employment Secretary on behalf of the Minister. Over 200 workers gathered to press home their four-point demand, which includes recognizing field technician positions as permanent roles, directly absorbing long-serving workers, investigating labor law violations, withdrawing harassment cases, and prompting regulatory intervention.
Key Demands of the Workers: Official recognition of field technicians and office staff positions as core, permanent functions within BATB. Immediate regularization and recruitment of long-serving field technicians directly onto the company's payroll. Remedial action against alleged labor law violations, protection against harassment, and the immediate withdrawal of cases filed against protesting workers. Direct intervention by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) and relevant government bodies to prevent illegal outsourcing practices.
Union leaders highlighted that despite delivering year-round critical field operations such as farmer onboarding, seedbed preparation, input distribution, crop monitoring, app data management, curing, and leaf transport workers are kept under third-party contractor M/S M Logistics (Pvt) Limited.
They argued this practice violates the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, which restricts third-party outsourcing for continuous roles lasting over 180 days. Union Secretary Samiul Islam noted that these roles were originally permanent positions before being converted into contract roles to bypass annual profit-sharing (5% WPFP) and job security benefits.
Following a two-hour rally outside Shram Bhaban, delegates handed the memorandum to DIFE Inspector General (Additional Secretary) Md. Forhad Siddique. Protesters later marched to the Secretariat, reiterating their call for immediate government action to enforce existing labor laws and secure their employment rights.
