The acting President of BGMEA has said Left leaders are playing politics on the Tuba Group issue despite a pledge by the management for payment of unpaid salaries and allowances.
The statement of SM Mannan Kochi came after the Tuba Group Sramik Sangram Committee, comprising rights groups, laid a siege to the BGMEA building on Tuesday noon.
Kochi claimed there was no Tuba Group worker in the agitations and only Leftist leaders took part in it.
“Politics has begun over the Tuba issue. Four Tuba Group factories, out of five, have trade unions. We’ve talked to leaders of those trade unions. We all have reached an agreement to clear two months’ salary,” he added.
Over 1,500 workers of the five Tuba Group factories have been on a hunger strike for a straight nine days to press for three months’ unpaid wages, overtime dues, and allowances.
A tripartite meeting was held at BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) building on Sunday at the government’s mediation.
At the meeting, BGMEA urged the workers to end the hunger strike pledging payment of two months’ wages and allowances on Wednesday, but the call was rejected.
At the BGMEA building siege programme, Bangladesh Sramik Karmachari Federation leader Zahirul Islam Zahir said ‘the real workers’ had no link to those who attended the Sunday meeting in the name of worker representatives.
Garments Sramik Sanghati Convenor Taslima Akter said BGMEA signed an agreement with those who were not involved in the movement to press for the realisation of the workers’ demands.
“We reject with detestation those agents who signed the agreement,” she added.
When Kochi’s attention was drawn to the worker leaders’ claim, he said: “Now many leaders are appearing. To how many of them, will we talk?”
He said BGMEA had no dearth of sincerity to ensure payment of workers’ overdue wages and allowances.
“None of those chanting slogans are Tuba workers,” he claimed.
Leaders of 15 labour organisations are taking part in the hunger strike by Tuba workers.
Source: Bd news24
