Tobacco makers' drives at universities to hire hands

2 April 2014

According to the Tobacco Control Law (amended 2013), all type of direct or indirect promotion of tobacco products is completely prohibited. Phillip Morris International has taken innovative promotional tactic to promote their products into the youth of private universities in Bangaldesh. The fact has been revealed by one of the ATMA members, Mazadul Haque which has been published in the online news portal banglanews24.com on 2 March, 2014.

The report says, in the name of job fair they have launched a program “Be The One” and alluring the young private university students to register for future career in their company. The first phase of this campaign they have taken 4 private university as their target market. The students of ULAB, UIU, EWU & AIUB are the first victims of this campaign. The registration booth they have in the campus is very creepy and unusual it also somehow shows that they are hiding something. The young help desk assistant told that the students who have completed 100 credit hours can apply for job at Phillip Morris International.

When asked about the type of exam and venue of the exam the help desk assistant could not answer but can only tell about the history of the company and the quality of the company’s products. Phillip Morris International has not only violated the Tobacco Control Law (amended 2013) but also showed their influence on higher authority of the private universities by organizing this type of campaign in a place where smoking is strictly prohibited. The follow up investigative reports which are being published by different media houses (print, electronic) came out after PROGGA’s alert was disseminated earlier by email and PROGGA’s Tobacco Industry Watch BD Team posts in facebook fan page.