Dismissed workers and employees alleged that many employees of Dhaka Intercontinental Hotel were fired illegally for speaking out against corrupt officials and for workers’ rights. At the same time, they demanded reinstatement.
Speakers made this demand at a Press Conference against corruption and irregularities of Intercontinental Hotel Dhaka on the morning of Friday 30 August 2024 at Dhaka Reporters Unity. The sacked employees complained that the hotel had its own ‘mirror room’. If you speak against senior officials, you are tortured.
Written statement Intercontinental Hotel catering sales executive and general secretary of workers and employees union. Nuruzzaman said that due to the pro-Indian nature of the previous government, Indian nationals were appointed as managers with the connivance of some political leaders, senior officials of Bangladesh Services Limited (BSL) and some dishonest officials of the hotel. Ever since he took office, workers have been subjected to harassment and discrimination.
He said, Intercontinental Hotel also has its own mirror room. No one is allowed to communicate with anyone taken there. Employees are taken there and tortured if they speak out against corrupt officials. More than 36 employees were fired without notice. A complaint has been made to the Ministry of Labor in this regard. According to Nuruzzaman, the DB picked him up in the early morning of August 28 and the OC of Ramna police station kept pressuring him to withdraw from the movement. Later he was forced to leave under the pressure of the student society and colleagues.
Nuruzzaman said that this hotel should not be used by any evil forces against the country, there should be no mismanagement, mismanagement, and some workers would get angry because they spoke against the corrupt officials to protect the hotel from destruction. As a result of which the said workers and employees were dismissed by those corrupt officials by issuing BICC pads. The victims have ample evidence of corruption, irregularities and arbitrariness of the MD, GM, HR Director and other officials. Aggrieved workers-employees think about the future of this Intercontinental Hotel and protest against these corrupt people along with students.
The official said, Strict intervention is sought to remove the corrupt officials of the hotel who are abusing their power and strongly demand reinstatement of the affected employees at the earliest.
He said that the same fascism that led to the downfall of dictatorships exists in this five-star hotel, as most of the officials are fascism cronies.
He claimed that the DB picked him up at 4 am on August 28 and the OC of Ramna police station kept pressuring him to withdraw from the movement. What the fascist police used to do. But even after the fall of the dictatorship, this fascist police picked me up without any specific charges and kept me hidden and did not give any information to the family. Later, from 8 am, the student society and colleagues found out that he was picked up by DB. Which undermines the dignity of freedom earned at the cost of so much blood. Not only that, the OC of Ramana police station abused students and colleagues, behaved insolently and spoke indecent language. He even abused my wife and asked me to take a bond so that I would not make any further movement. Which brings out that old fascism. At last he was forced to give up due to fair pressure from students and colleagues.
Md. Nuruzzaman said, now the question arises which country is this? That country we have freed from dictatorship? What is the use of the government office?
According to Nuruzzaman, 36 people including me were fired after serving for the past 14 years We want a fair investigation and prosecution of the corrupt We request the management to establish the rights of our workers We hold a press conference about our demands before this We want reinstatement