This is very good news for me and for Bangladesh’s tobacco control activists that The Examination, a Washington, DC–based investigative media outlet, has published a report on labor rights violations at BAT Bangladesh. I hope this will serve as an important document not only for Bangladesh but also for global tobacco control efforts.

For reference, report by The Examination, highlighting their impactful investigative work: Small Payouts for Devastating Toxic Waste Spill in Bangladesh.

The Examination details report:

The case: Officials in Bangladesh filed criminal charges this year against executives with British American Tobacco’s local subsidiary, alleging violations of labor laws at a tobacco leaf processing plant in the western part of the country.

Since 2012, the company has failed to pay seasonal workers under a mandatory profit-sharing agreement, according to the complaint. The labor inspector who filed the complaint also alleged that representatives of British American Tobacco’s Bangladesh subsidiary failed to satisfactorily respond to government inquiries, according to records shared with The Examination by Bangladeshi journalist Sushanta Kumar Singha, who has followed the case.

Defendants include British American Tobacco Bangladesh’s managing director, its head of operations and two senior employees. Those four will appear in court next month.

The Examination contacted BAT Bangladesh, but it did not respond. The company previously told local media that it is “committed to full compliance with the local laws and regulations.”

Why it matters: Workers who process tobacco leaves are at risk of nicotine poisoning, which can cause nausea and vomiting. Earlier this year, workers at the factory protested over working conditions, suspending operations for a month.

—Will Fitzgibbon, senior reporter and global partnership coordinator