Tannery owners on Wednesday agreed not to lay-off workers in the wake of a court order for the shutdown of tanneries as they failed to meet the official deadline for relocating their factories to Savar.They also promised to build temporary residential arrangement for their workers and tannery owners would also make necessary transport arrangement for their workers if they fail to provide the housing facility.The consensus came at a meeting presided over by state minister for labour Mujibul Haque at his secretariat office in the city where leaders from tannery owners and workers were also present.The meeting was convened after some of the tanners’ intention to close down their factories in the light of high court directive to immediately shut down units and cut-off utility services, including gas, power and water supply.”The meeting discussed what would happen during the transition period and we reached consensus that we will not declare our units lay-off,” Shaheen Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Tanners Association, told the FE after the meeting. The minister assured of raising the workers housing issue in the next cabinet meeting.
