Charges have been framed against British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB), a multinational cigarette manufacturer, for allegedly violating the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. The order was issued on Thursday (16 October 2025) by Razia Sultana, Chairperson of the Khulna Divisional Labour Court. The court has fixed November 16, 2025, for the recording of witness testimony.
During the charge-framing session at the Khulna Labour Court, Manisha Abraham, Managing Director of BATB Bangladesh; George Luis Mercedo, Head of Operations; Syed Afzal Hossain, Company Secretary; and Mokit Ahmed Chowdhury, Manager of the Kustia GLT Plant, were present before the court.
Earlier, on June 20, 2025, Md. Farjun Islam, Labour Inspector of the Department of Factories and Establishments (Kushtia Region), filed the criminal case (No. 38/2025) against BATB.
According to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, this legal action by the government marks an unprecedented step toward ensuring workers’ rights protection and the rule of law in the country. The case originated following an investigative report by Sushanta K Sinha, Special Correspondent of Ekatter Television.
In a series of investigative reports aired last November, it was revealed that BATB had been operating 11 unauthorized factories in the Kushtia region, violating multiple labour rights provisions.
The complaint further stated that BATB had violated at least 45 sections and subsections of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. After a government investigation confirmed the allegations, the Ministry of Labour’s Kushtia office filed the case against BATB for these labour law violations.
The complainant and Labour Inspector, Md. Farjun Islam, said, “The government’s position on protecting workers’ rights is very clear. The government will not bow to any kind of pressure or influence when taking legal action against lawbreakers.”
This is the first time in BAT’s 115-year history in Bangladesh that the government has filed a case against the company’s Managing Director and top executives for violating labour laws.
