Garment workers demand bonuses, wages by Sept 16
Saturday, 12 September 2009
FE Report
Hundreds of garment workers staged a rally in the city Friday with black flags held aloft demanding payment of wages including arrears and Eid bonuses by September 16.
The workers under the banner of National Garments Worker Federation staged the rally stretching from Muktangon to Topkhana Road.
Speakers at the rally accused garment factory owners of dillydallying about their payments. Till now they did not pay the wage of last month and might be thinking of paying the last month's salary before the vacation of Eid-ul-Fitr, the speakers alleged.
They wondered the wages of the workers were not paid yet by the five factories, which were closed illegally, even after complaining to the labour ministry and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
If the factory owners fail to meet their demand by the deadline set above, they threatened to lay siege to residences of the owners and the relevant government offices and warned that BGMEA and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) would be responsible for the consequences.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Garment Worker Unity Council (BGWUC) also staged a rally at Muktangon demanding payment of their arrears, wages and Eid bonuses by September 16.
The BGWUC said a taskforce meeting led by the finance ministry will be held on September 16 or 17 on the stimulus package issue.
The government should be very cautious about the issue of the garment workers as 3.0 million people are directly involved with the garment industry, it added. It further said the stimulus package money should not be given to BGMEA or BKMEA without ensuring the welfare of the garment workers.
Hundreds of garment workers staged a rally in the city Friday with black flags held aloft demanding payment of wages including arrears and Eid bonuses by September 16.
The workers under the banner of National Garments Worker Federation staged the rally stretching from Muktangon to Topkhana Road.
Speakers at the rally accused garment factory owners of dillydallying about their payments. Till now they did not pay the wage of last month and might be thinking of paying the last month's salary before the vacation of Eid-ul-Fitr, the speakers alleged.
They wondered the wages of the workers were not paid yet by the five factories, which were closed illegally, even after complaining to the labour ministry and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
If the factory owners fail to meet their demand by the deadline set above, they threatened to lay siege to residences of the owners and the relevant government offices and warned that BGMEA and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) would be responsible for the consequences.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Garment Worker Unity Council (BGWUC) also staged a rally at Muktangon demanding payment of their arrears, wages and Eid bonuses by September 16.
The BGWUC said a taskforce meeting led by the finance ministry will be held on September 16 or 17 on the stimulus package issue.
The government should be very cautious about the issue of the garment workers as 3.0 million people are directly involved with the garment industry, it added. It further said the stimulus package money should not be given to BGMEA or BKMEA without ensuring the welfare of the garment workers.