Citycell employees stage sit-in ‘besieging’ CEO over unpaid salary

Employees of embattled telecoms operator Citycell are staging a sit-in at its offices over unpaid dues by reportedly ‘besieging’ Chief Executive Mehboob Chowdhury and three other senior officials.

They began the demonstration before the 11th floor office of the CEO at Mohakhali’s Pacific Centre headquarters around 2:30pm on Tuesday.

Communications Secretary of Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited Employees’ Union Mahjabin Mitali appeared at a news conference around 5pm. There, she said, “The CEO and others had promised to pay up salaries and dues by Nov 22. But today, they sought more time.”

"We will press on with the strike action until our dues are cleared. They owe us five months’ salaries and two bonuses.”

Mahjabin asked, “How can one get by in Dhaka City without getting paid for five months?” She added that they cannot give the management even another day’s time.

The Citycell staffers plan to go on a hunger strike from Wednesday after continuing the sit-in until 10pm on Tuesday.

“We will begin the hunger strike at the Citycell premises from tomorrow and then go outside wherever we get space,” Mahjabin said.

Asked if the top Citycell officials have been shut in, she said, “They are not confined in that sense. We have taken position in front of their rooms. They can walk through us if they want.”

Journalists had no access to the site of the sit-in on the 11th floor of the building. They could only speak to the protesters.

Around 100 members of the telco's staff have joined the protest, said Citycell Deputy Manager Md Hasan Mahmud Ali.

"The CEO along with Chief Technical Officer Mahfuzur Rahman, Chief Financial Officer Tarikul Hasan and Commercial Comptroller Ziaur Rahamn are besieged," he told bdnews24.com.

The telecoms regulators BTRC suspended Citycell's spectrum allocation on Oct 20 after the struggling operator failed to pay Tk 4.77 billion it owed the government.

Seventeen days later, it was reinstated following a court order.

The court ordered Bangladesh's oldest mobile-phone operator, neck deep in dues, to pay Tk 1 billion before Nov 19.

Failure to pay the sum would leave the way open for the BTRC to close down Citycell, said the Appellate Division's order.

In 1989, a licence to operate telecom services in the county was issued to Bangladesh Telecom Ltd (BTL).

Investments from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunication Ltd came the next year, which was then re-christened as Hutchison Bangladesh Telecom Ltd (HBTL).

In 1993, the then foreign minister M Morshed Khan-owned Pacific Motors, SingTel and Far East Telecom brought HBTL's shares.

The company was renamed as Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Ltd, with the brand name of Citycell.

Singapore-based SingTel Asia Pacific Investments Pte Limited now holds a majority share of 45 percent in Citycell.

Morshed Khan’s Pacific Motors has 37.95 percent while Far East Telecom Limited owns a 17.51 percent stake.