Payments for Tuba workers before Eid uncertain

Uncertainty looms over payment of wages of workers of closed Tuba Group factories before the Eid-ul-Azha festival, sources said.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Tuba Group authority blamed the insurance company for not getting insurance claim of deadly fire incident which burnt 112 garment workers alive and injured many.

On the other hand, the Tuba Group Workers Movement Committee threatened tougher action if the workers are not paid by today (Sunday).

Earlier, the authority of the Karnaphuli Insurance Company had turned down the claim of the Tazreen Fashions terming the fire incident malicious.

Later, the government sat with the Karnaphuli insurance authorities following the Tuba Group's request to intervene so that they can get Tk 182 million insurance claims made to the Karnaphuli Insurance Company Ltd after the incident.

"But they are yet to reach any consensus over the issue," said a government official.

"The BGMEA and the Tuba authorities are using the insurance issue as a tool of their ill-motive. There is no connection between the insurance claim and the workers' demand," Tuba Group Workers' Movement Committee Coordinator Moshrefa Mishu said.

If the workers are not paid two months of their wages and two festival allowances by the deadline that ends today (Sunday), the workers would demonstrate in front of the BGMEA office tomorrow (Monday).

"We would go for tougher movement if the Tuba Workers are not paid," she threatened.  

Delwar Hossain, managing director of the Tuba Group, said he is trying but would not pay unless he got the insurance money.

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