Ctg EPZ workers agitate for newly hiked wages

CHITTAGONG, Jan 8: Workers in the Chittagong EPZ and Karnaphuli EPZ today demonstrated in the morning demanding payment of salary as per new wage board.

They alleged that a few industries in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone and Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone did not pay workers' wages for last December as per new wage board awarded by the government.

The demonstrations lasted more than three hours before reaching a compromise in the tripartite meeting.

Workers' leaders said the workers of the Usebio, JMF and Global garments manufacturing factory in the CEPZ assembled in front of their respective factories without joining their duties in the morning and chanted slogans against their managements claiming they were not being paid wages as per wage board award announced by the government in consultation with the BGMEA leaders.

Earlier on Tuesday evening the workers of Young International, RTT and Al Salam garments in the CEPZ and Bencot in the KEPZ demonstrated in front of their factories demanding payment as per new structure from December 2013.

The leaders alleged that the concerned authorities assured the workers that they would be paid as per new structure from December but they are not living up to their pledges.

General Manager of CEPZ SM Abdur Rashid said the demonstration continued for two hours from 8.30 am and the CEPZ authority, owners' representatives, workers' representative and industrial police stationed in the CEPZ negotiated a settlement of the issue. Such a meeting was also held at the KEPZ, sources said.

Following successful negotiations the workers joined their respective duties and normalcy restored in both the EPZs.