Petrobangla, the state-owned oil and energy corporation, will block USD 76 million from US oil giant Chevron’s regular bill, following the High Court (HC) order on the employees’ claim for five per cent share of the profits. “We issued a letter a few months back, supporting the employees’ interest. Thus, we are familiar with the issue. When we get the court order, we will block the money for
the employees,” said a senior Petrobangla officer. On Monday, the HC directed the government not to pay the company’s bill, addressing the concerns of the employees of Chevron Bangladesh , who feared that the company might leave the country without paying the employees’ dues.
The HC bench—comprised of Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo—issued the order in response to a supplementary petition.
 The supplementary petition had been jointly filed by the 538 Chevron employees, as a writ petition is currently pending before the HC against the US oil giant for refusing to give dividends to the officers and workers in accordance with the Labour Law.
Although there is a provision in the Labour Law, 2006, to provide five per cent dividend from the profits to the workers of the company, Chevron has not yet done so.
Recently, the US-based company announced that it is in talks with a Chinese oil company to sell its Bangladesh assets. After that, the employees organised different protest programmes in order to obtain their share in the profits.