The leaders of labour rights bodies on Friday again asked garment owners to pay salary and festival allowances to workers by 20th Ramadan and threatened a tougher movement if the workers are not paid in time. The leaders, from separate rallies held in the capital and in Savar, also asked the government to take all necessary steps to ensure salary and bonus of the workers in time. They also demanded immediate action from the government to prevent owners from terminating their workers just before Eid-ul-Fitr. Garments Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad, a combine of 18 garment workers’ rights bodies, and National Garment Workers Federation, held separate protest rallies in front of the National Press Club while Garment Sromik Oikkya Forum and Garment Workers’ Solidarity held separate rallies in Savar pushing for the same demands. ‘Many factories have already declared that they will pay 15 to 20 days wage for the month of June and some factories have started terminating workers before Eid vacation,’ claimed Mushrefa Mishu, president of Garment Sromik Oikkya Forum. She protested at the incidents and threatened the government and the owners that if the workers were terminated or not paid in time they would go for tougher movement all over the country.President of Garment Sramik Sanghati, Taslima Akter, alleged that every year factory owners cheat the workers and finally do not pay the workers before Eid.‘If the owners plan to do the same this year, we will start a movement with the workers of the country,’ he said in a rally at Savar Friday morning. Wajed-ul Islam Khan, general secretary of the Trade Union Centre, said garment workers are low paid so they will not be able to enjoy Eid festival if they do not get their wage and festival allowance by Ramadan 20.Razequzzaman Ratan, general secretary of the Samajtantrik Sramik Front, called on the government to create pressure on the garment factory owners to pay the dues of the workers on time.Quamrul Ahsan, joint convener of the SKOP called on the garment workers to unite to press forward their demands. Chaired by Naimul Ahsan Jewel, the rally was addressed, among others, by garment labour leaders Alamgir Rony, Selim Mahnud and Prokash Dutta.The rally was followed by a protest procession that paraded different city roads.Amirul Haque Amin, president of the NGWF, said at their rally that the government and the garment factory owners will be responsible if the faced any movement for not paying wage and festival allowance by Ramadan 20. Chaired by Amin, the rally was addressed, among others, by its general secretary Shafia Parvin, Mohammad Faroque Khan and Arifa Akter.The rally was followed by a procession, and workers took part at the procession carrying red flags. Meanwhile, over hundred workers of different garment factories in Ashulia formed a human chain under the banner of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation in Ashulia highlighting the same demands. Rafiquel Islam Sujon, president of BGSSF, said the factory owners went abroad to enjoy Eid vacation but denied workers their salary and bonus every year.‘If workers cannot observe Eid with festivity, we will take to the roads and agitate,’ he said.‘There are some factories in this industrial area that always cheat the workers and make the industrial belt tense,’ he added, asking for the government’s interference in this regard.
