BANGLADESH

The High Court (HC) on Sunday ordered Biman Bangladesh Airlines to appoint afresh those who were given retirement under a 'golden handshake' scheme during the last military-backed caretaker government.

The bench of justices Farah Mahbub and Abdur Rab, after hearing a number of writ petitions, also ordered reinstatement of those employees, who were offered the 'golden handshake', but finally, did not avail the benefits.

The Biman Bangladesh authorities have been told to appoint afresh those officials and employees against its 608 vacant posts considering their seniority, academic qualification, service record and medical fitness to continue in job.

The verdict also declared the 'golden handshake' scheme legal.

As for compensation for the period since their 'forced retirement', Biman has been told to take measures in accordance with its service rules.

As many as 1,877 Biman employees were given retirement under a 'golden handshake' scheme during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007.

The HC issued a number of rulings on the government after the Biman employees challenged the retirement decision in 2008, 2009 and 2010, saying that they were forced to retire. The Sunday's order came after disposing of 61 writ petitions out of the total 70 filed by 1,172 retired Biman employees.

"Biman cannot make new appointments unless the retired employees are reinstated gradually," lawyer for the petitioners Salahuddin Dolon told .

Only those who did not avail the benefits offered under the retirement scheme would be reinstated with the seniority they were enjoying prior to their retirement, said Salahuddin, who represented 536 petitioners during the hearing.

Barristers Rafiqul Haque, Abdur Razzak, Nazrul Islam, Omar Sadat and Mahbub Shafique, and advocates Abdul Matin Khasru and Ahsanul Karim also took part in the hearing for the rest of the petitioners.

Barristers Kamalul Alam, Akhter Imam, Zonayed Ahmed Chowdhury, and advocates Khandaker Diliruzzaman and Ekramul Haque Tutul appeared on behalf of Biman Bangladesh.

"Those who had taken benefits offered under the retirement would be appointed afresh only if they fulfil certain stipulated conditions," said Diliruzzaman.

"It is a victory for Biman as the court has ordered retirement under 'golden handshake' legal," said Diliruzzaman.

Forces opposed to the war crimes trials are using social networking sites and community blogs as tools for their propaganda, says Awami League lawmaker Baby Maudud.

"When the rumour targets a particular side, it is not difficult to make out who are behind the canard. Apart from rumours, there are campaigns with imaginative details on Facebook and other blogs," she said taking part in the thanksgiving motion on the president's speech at Sunday's session.

The government should be pro-active and efficient enough to stop the ongoing campaigns against the war crimes trials and keep the country's democratic practices unimpeded.

She slammed BNP chief Khaleda Zia's statement threatening to make the government "physically impaired".

"In the 21st century, they (the disabled) are referred to as 'physically challenged' ... while some are physically impaired, some others seem to be intellectually (impaired). When talked about her (Khaleda) way, the physically challenged can also feel hurt..."

Baby Maudud also called for a legal provision against anyone berating the physically challenged people.

Multinational sportswear companies Adidas, Nike and Puma who will market their goods to worldwide audiences in Olympics do not pay Bangladeshis minimum wages in five of their six product-manufacturing factories in Bangladesh.

"Race to the bottom," a report released by a British charity organisation, War on Want, has exposed exploitation of Bangladeshi workers producing goods for the three companies in the run-up to London 2012 Olympic Games.

The report presented a detailed picture of the conditions faced by workers in Bangladesh, mostly women, who produce the sportswear they sell.

"As well as gaining access to worldwide audiences to promote their products they (the companies) also aim to associate themselves with the Olympic values of fair play and respect," read excerpts from the research given on the charity organisation's official website in addition to the full research report.

"Our research finds that for the workers making goods for Adidas, Nike and Puma in Bangladesh, there is little sign of fair play or respect. Five of the six factories covered by our research did not even pay their workers the Bangladeshi minimum wage, let alone a living wage that allow them to meet their basic needs," the excerpts continued.

In breach of Bangladeshi labour law, workers producing for the three companies are being paid only 16p, which is equivalent to Tk 20, per hour on average, with two thirds of the workers working over 60 hours a week, revealed the research.

Bangladesh's labour law sets the standard minimum wage for garment workers earning equivalent to 94p a day while the working hour is fixed to be 48 hours a week, the report said.

"Many suffer abuse in the workplace, including sexual harassment and beatings," said the report focusing on the condition workers work for the sportswear companies.

The report has been prepared by taking workers detailed interviews.

"While low wages secure huge profits for the global sportswear industry, the more than three million workers in the Bangladesh clothing industry are left with an income that is often less than the living wage," said the report after mentioning that Bangladeshi minimum wage is one of the lowest in Asia and in the world as well.

Adidas has become sportswear partner of the London Olympic scheduled for Aug 29 to Sep 9 this year by spending £100 million. Adiddas would be able to clothe 70,000 volunteers of the Olympic and has the right to use the Olympic logo on its products.

Adidas hopes to achieve over £100 million in sales from its Olympic clothing lines alone. About 775,000 workers, mostly came through outsourcing, in 1,200 factories across 65 countries are making products for Adidas, which have enormous influence over the people employing workers for it.

Nike, the world's largest sport brand, has secured its association with the London Olympic Games through the official sponsorship of a range of high profile teams including the USA and athletes such as Mark Cavendish and Paula Radcliffe. Through its supply chains Nike influences the conditions of more than 800,000 employees in 700 factories across 45 countries, the report mentioned.

Puma's largest profile sponsorship deal is its relationship with Usain Bolt, arguably the highest-profile athlete taking part in the 2012 Games as he defends his Olympic 100 metre and 200 metre titles. Puma's manufacturing is outsourced to over 350 factories, a majority of which are in developing economies, involving around 300,000 workers, said the report.

The report came down hard on the companies as they have been exploiting workers, especially in the poorest countries like Bangladesh, despite signing 'codes of conduct' against the practice.

It called on UK government for introducing a Commission on Business, Human Rights and the Environment for monitoring activities of UK companies operating in other countries.

"London 2012 is our opportunity to extend the Olympic spirit of fair play beyond the Games themselves, so that all those producing goods for sportswear brands in factories around the world can benefit, both now and into the future. Now that would be an Olympic legacy worth celebrating," War on Want executive director John Hilary said while concluding his preface to the report.

Jatiya Party chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad on Monday accused India of illegally taking control of water of the common river Feni.

Just before starting a road march towards Feni district, Ershad also urged all to protest against such Indian move by rising above narrow partisan views.

"The Feni river is ours. No other (country) has right to this river," Ershad, a key ally of the ruling Awami League, told a street rally in the city's Banani Model Town.

A motorcade of around 250 vehicles started for Feni around 9:30am.

"There has been a plot to turn Feni, Mirsarai of Chittagong, Fatikchharhi, Khagrachharhi, Ramgarh, Noakhali and Comilla into deserts," Ershad said.

The river Feni was recognised as a common river in 2005 at a meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC) in Dhaka.

The river originates in Tripura and makes a common border of 87 kilometres with Bangladesh. After travelling about 90 kilometres in Tripura, it flows into Bangladesh.

The controversy over the river's share of water remains unsolved for long allegedly because of India's reluctance to strike a deal with Bangladesh.

Being a border river with one side of the banks in India and the other in Bangladesh, no activity is allowed in 150 yards from the centre of the river.

But allegations have it that India is lifting water from the river violating rules and taking advantage of no agreement to equally use the water of the river.

MEETING WITH PM

In reply to a query on a meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday night, he said, "We have talked about election issues."

He said the discussion with the premier was fruitful but would not elaborate.

The deposed military dictator is scheduled to address seven street rallies during the march and a gathering at Government Pilot High School ground in Feni in the afternoon, his information and political affairs secretary Sunil Shuvo Roy told .

Earlier, the party had marched towards Sylhet on Dec 10-11 protesting against India's move to build a dam at Tipaimukh on the Barak River and to Nilphamari on Jan 17-18 demanding just share of water of the Teesta River.