Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed Thursday assured of clearing all kinds of payments of the apparel workers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of the Muslim community.
"The garment owners will have to pay salaries, festival allowances and other financial benefits to the workers, and the government will not allow any errant manufacturer this time," the commerce minister told reporters after a meeting with the European Union (EU) Ambassador William Hanna at his Secretariat office.
Responding to a question, he admitted that the workers of Tazreen Fashions have not received wages for the last two months, as the apparel group owners were in jail following the tragic fire incident that killed 113 workers in 2012.
"We'll take necessary measures to clear salaries of the Tazreen workers before the Eid after consulting with the leaders of BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association)."
In response to another query, he claimed of achieving substantial progress in the garment industry since the Rana Plaza tragedy, in which more than 1,130 workers were killed.
"Only 2 per cent factories have been found with structural vulnerability in the recent inspections of 1,500 apparel units, and we closed down those units to avert any further untoward incident."
The appointment process of factory inspectors will be completed by September, he added.
After emerging from the meeting, the EU Ambassador said they have discussed the progresses made by the Bangladesh government over the last one year following the EU initiative Staying Engaged: Bangladesh Sustainability Compact.
In response to the tragic loss of lives in the Rana Plaza collapse, the EU took action through the compact to promote better labour rights and more responsible supply chain management in the country's garment manufacturing.
Bangladesh achieved many progresses in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector over the last one year, said William Hanna.
The process of immediate implementation of the country's existing labour laws, ensuring structural and fire safety at the factories, and appointment of factory inspectors need to be completed as soon as possible, he added.
