Biman hires 1,000 from retrenched staff

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has hired some 1,000 staffers on daily pay to add momentum to its operations after it shook off 1,863 employees under a 'golden handshake' plan. The national flag carrier has made the new hiring from the retrenched staffers in a move that has drawn flaks from labour unions. Biman managing director MA Momen acknowledged that the beleaguered airline had been facing trouble after implementing the 'golden handshake' programme as part of its restructuring. bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent Biplob Rahman reports.

Biplob Rahman

bdnews24.com Senior correspondent

Dhaka, July 6 (bdnews24.com) – Biman Bangladesh Airlines has hired some 1,000 staffers on daily pay to momentum to its operations after it shook off 1,863 employees under a 'golden handshake' plan.

The national flag carrier has made the new hiring from the retrenched staffers in a move that has drawn flaks from labour unions.

Biman managing director MA Momen acknowledged that the beleaguered airline had been facing trouble after implementing the 'golden handshake' programme as part of its restructuring.

"The retrenchment plan is the part of our efforts to prevent the airline from incurring huge losses. But now we think appointment of some efficient officials on no-work no-pay basis will help us cut spending," Momen told bdnews24.com Thursday.

Those who have opted for early retirement will be paid their dues within a month, Momen said.

The retrenched officials will receive their provident fund dues, as it will be paid from Biman's own fund. The pension and gratuity will be paid later from another fund to be received from the World Bank, he said.

As much as Tk 325 crore will be required to pay off the 1,863 employees, said a Biman official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.

The finance ministry, however, agreed in principle to provide Tk 297 crore of the amount.

A disgruntled Biman trade union leader on condition of anonymity said, "It goes to show Biman's short-sightedness in prematurely sending so many employees into retirement. Now it is asking them to work on daily wages—it is insulting as well!"

"The retired employees are working on a daily basis fearing that the organisation might be dilly-dallying in clearing their dues if they refused to work now," he said.

Another Biman official, also preferring to remain unnamed, said employees with less than 10 years of service were not considered under the 'golden handshake' programme.

Those who work in the cockpit too were not in contention.

Staffers with more than 25 years of service enjoyed topmost priority under the early retirement scheme, he added.

The caretaker government decided to restructure Biman immediately after it took charge on Jan. 11 and formed a committee headed by the civil aviation secretary to made recommendations.

The interim cabinet also decided to transform Biman into a public limited company with a new name.

The committee recommended pruning Biman's manpower to 800 from 4,000 before it was made a public limited company.

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