Tanners seek cash aid from EU fund for workers
FE REPORT | Tuesday, 29 September 2020
The country's tanners have sought support from the European Union's (EU) fund for terminated, disabled and insolvent labourers, industry insiders said.
Earlier, the EU announced a €113 million fund to assist the Bangladesh government in delivering cash aid to workers in the export-oriented industries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The package included €93 million in EU grant and €20 million in German grant.
The Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) recently wrote to the labour and employment ministry with a plea for necessary steps to this effect.
When contacted, BTA chairman Md Shaheen Ahamed said, "There is no new data on the number of workers affected by the virus pandemic in the tanneries under the BTA."
Labourers under Bangla-desh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters' Association are entitled to cash assistance, according to the BTA.
Each worker will get Tk 3,000 a month for three months -- June, July and August 2020 -- from the EU and German grants, a source said.