No salary for workers in 50 RMG factories

More than 250 readymade garment factories did not paid festival allowances to its workers even on Thursday, the last working day before Eid-ul-Fitr, while at least 50 factories did not pay wages for the month of June.

Hundreds of garment workers on Thursday took part in a sit-in and demonstration in Dhaka and Chittagong demanding their arrears before Eid.
The workers of the Swan Garment continued their sit-in at Dhaka for the fifth day while workers of Anwara Garments at Chittagong
barricaded a road in Bayezid-Khulshi area in the port city demanding wages and allowances.
Labour leaders said that about 200 factories, those that are affiliated with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufactures and Exporters Association, failed to pay festival allowances up to Thursday eveining.
The rest 50 factories are engaged in subcontract work and are not the members of the BGMEA or BKMEA, they said.
According to the BGMEA statistics, a total of 160 factories have failed to pay festival allowances while 32 factories failed to pay wages up to Thursday.
The BGMEA president Md Atiqul Islam on Thursday said that there are 3,200 active factories under the association and of them, 99 per cent have been paid wages while 95 per cent have paid festival allowances.
At a press conference at the BGMEA office he said the factories, which are yet to pay wages and festival allowances to the workers (except Swan Garments), are in the process of clearing their dues.
Atiq said the government is looking into the issue of Swan Garments as the owner of the factory has passed away.
The BGMEA president claimed that 67 per cent of their member factories paid partial wages for the month of July to the workers.
Bangladesh Garment Workers Employees League president Sirajul Islam Roni said the authorities of more than 250 garment factories did not pay festival allowances to their workers till Thursday Evening.
He said that out of the 250, about 200 factories are the members of the BGMEA and the BKMEA.
An industrial police source said that a total of 40 garment factories at Ashulia, Gazipur and Narayanganj did not pay wages and festival allowances to their factories.
A high official of industrial police said the process is still ongoing and the workers of the factories might receive their wages and allowances before Eid.
National Garment Workers Federation prepared a list of garment factories that are yet to pay festival allowances to the workers.
The factories are Excel Indutries Ltd, Elite garments, Tasmia Apparels, Anwara Garments Ltd, Kayetoa Knit Garments Ltd, Alpine Knitwear, Mobin Fashions, Color TR Fashions, Ibrahim Knit Textile Ltd, Mojid Fashions, Meridian Garments, Kohinur Garments, Manville Garments, Green Bangla Garments, SGS garments, Super Tex garments, Advance Garments, PHS Fashions, Kurial Garments, Janani Garments, Parent International Ltd, Fakir Knit Composite Ltd, Advance Composite Ltd and Orion Knit Textile Ltd.
Meanwhile, the workers of the Swan Garments continued their sit in front of the National Press Club for the fifth day.
Before that, they held a protest procession in front of the Press Club, which ended after parading different city roads.
Garment Workers Trade Union Centre held a solidarity rally at the sit-in, where politicians and trade union leaders called on the Awami League-led government to take steps to ensure the workers are paid three months wages and festival allowances before Eid-ul Fitr.
The owners of the Swan Garment Private Limited closed the factory unlawfully, the leaders said.
Chaired by GWTUC vice president Sadequr Rahman Shamim, the rally was addressed, among others, by labour leaders Mahbub Alam, Lutfar Rahman, KM Ruhul Amin, Joly Talukder and Zoinal Abedin.
Moreover, the GWTUC held rallies in Gazipur, Ashulia and Narayanganj in support of the movement of the Swan workers, a press statement said.
Leaders of Communist Party of Bangladesh and Socialist Party of Bangladesh held a joint rally in front of the Press Club, demanding payment of dues and festival allowance of the Swan workers before Eid.
Our Correspondent from Chittagong reported that workers of Anwara Garments, owned by Nasir Uddin Ahmed, vice president of the BGMEA, blocked the road that connects Bayezid Road and Oxygen area demanding arrears, at around 12.30 pm.
Due to the barricade created by the workers, tens of hundreds of vehicles got stuck between Sholoshohor second gate and Oxygen circle, which created a nearly two-kilometre tailback on both sides of the thoroughfare.
The workers also carried out vandalism in the vicinity breaking the window of many vehicles. Witnesses said police reached the spot long after the demonstration.
Nasir Uddin Ahmed told New Age, ‘we actually paid, as per government direction, the salary and bonus to our regular workers but a few temporary and newly-appointed workers, who as per official rules are not eligible to the facilities, carried out the demonstration.’
Mizan Uddin, Khulshi police officer-in-charge brushed away the allegation and told New Age, ‘we reached that spot hurriedly and took the situation under control.’