Employees at Shakib's farm demand unpaid wages

Around 200 workers from Shakib Al Hasan Agro Farm Limited, an aquaculture farm in Satkhira owned by the country's premier cricketer, gathered for a movement in Satkhira's Shaymmagar upazila demanding their due salaries on Monday.

They gathered outside the farm and closed the Munshiganj-Nildumur road around 9:00am in the morning, claiming they were owed four months' wages.

However, in order to maintain the protocols during the lockdown implemented by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) dispersed the gathering.

According to employee Monowara Khatun, they have worked at the farm for the past two years and last received salaries for the month of December in 2019.

Their dues from January to April 18th remain unpaid. Apart from that, the farm had deduced Tk300 per month from their salaries as part of a savings scheme. The workers, who have been rendered unemployed by the coronavirus crisis and are going through a tough time, said they were yet to receive either their salary or savings.

The RAB-6 DAD of Shyamnagar Upozila from Munshiganj camp Jamil Hossain informed over phone: "Around 120-125 labourers did not maintain social distance while protesting for their unpaid salaries outside Shakib Al Hasan Agro Farm Limited. We managed to cleared up the gathering while assuring them after talking to the agro authorities that they will pay their unpaid salaries by April 30".

Salauddin, the manager of the farm, said: "We released all the labourers in January as the shipment has been closed for the past few months. They will get the salary of January and we are hopeful to clear those salaries by April 30."

However, according to Salauddin, the labourers are not due four months' salary. He said they had not received their salary of January, which they have been claiming for the past few months.

He also informed that Sahagir Hossain Pavel -- a partner of the farm -- looks after operations and that Shakib only has his name on the door and does not even visit.

Shakib, who is currently in the United States with his family, was contacted several times but could not be reached while Pavel was also unavailable for comment.