Garment workers will go on Eid holidays in phases from July 14 to avoid heavy pressure of vehicles on highways ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-fitar. The decision was taken at a coordination meeting held at Home Ministry yesterday with State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal where representatives of BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMEA were present. Briefing reporters after the meeting, the junior home minister said thousands of workers will leave Dhaka and its adjoining districts before Eid day for their native villages to celebrate the festival which will create a sever traffic congestion on the highways. To avert such situation, we requested the factory owners of special industrial belt in Dhaka, Gazipur, Naryangonj and Chittagong to allow Eid holidays to their workers from July 14 in phases. Leaders of the factory owners associations agreed with us and they said they would comply with the yesterday’s (Wednesday) meeting decision, the state minister for home said. He also said that the factory owners were also asked to give monthly salary and Eid bonus by July 10. Besides, a special committee, led by one Additional Secretary of Labour Ministry, has been formed to help the factory owners so that no unpleasant incident occur if any factory owner fail to pay salary and Eid bonus, Kamal added.
