Factory owners including the owners of readymade garment units were on Thursday asked to pay Eid-ul-Azha festival allowance to their workers by August 16 and to ensure partial payment of wages for the current month by August 19.Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, will be celebrated on August 22, depending on the moon sighting.The decision came from the 37th meeting of the crisis management core committee headed by state minister for labour Md Mujibul Haque held at his secretariat office in the capital.At the meeting, the state minister said as per the law factory owners usually paid monthly wages to their workers within the seventh working day of the next month but the crisis management core committee held the meeting to ensure the payment of workers’ wages and other allowances on time ahead of Eid.Mujibul urged the factory owners to make partial payment of wages for the month of August based on discussion with their workers before Eid.The meeting decided to start Eid vacations for workers by phases and to ensure the Eid festival allowance be paid by the deadline.The junior minister urged all factory owners to keep their units closed on Eid day taking the humanitarian ground into account as labour leaders alleged that many factories especially textile mills remained open during Eid days.The meeting was informed that labour unrest might take place in some factories ahead of the Eid and some 1,000 garment factories were under strong monitoring of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.Representatives from BGMEA, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, trade unions and law enforcing agencies were present, among others, in the meeting.
