Sammilita Garments Sramik Federation has submitted a petition to the labour ministry secretary demanding legal actions against 1258 garment factories for not paying wage of April, or Eid festival allowance, or the both. The application submitted on Wednesday stated that 1258 members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association located at six industrial zones of the country did not pay salary for April and Eid allowance. ‘We learned from the industrial police sources that 161 factories did not pay both bonuses and salaries to their workers , 920 factories did not pay salary, when 358 members did not pay the allowance,’ SGSF president Nazma Akter told New Age on May 28. Sixty members of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association did not pay salaries while 85 BKMEA members did not pay bonuses, she said, adding that 40 members of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association did not pay salary and bonuses, while 47 BTMA members did not pay bonuses. ‘The remaining 659 factories which did not pay salary and 768 factories that did not pay bonuses were not members of any associations,’ Nazma said. Nazma said, ‘So, we want the government files criminal cases against the owners for violating the law.’ Labour ministry secretary KM Abdus Salam said that he attended office on Thursday. ‘I will look into the matter,’ he said. Two former BGMEA presidents, Abdus Salam Murshidi and Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, claimed that less than 30 ‘bankrupt’ factories could not pay wages and allowances. Shafiul said, ‘We want the government pay due salaries of the workers from the Central Fund of the labour ministry, which was created from contributions of the 100 per cent export oriented factories.’ Salam Murshidi claimed that, after their interventions, some factories through mobile banking paid 60 per cent salary to the workers who did not work during the coronavirus pandemic. IndustriALL Bangladesh Council general secretary Chaina Rahaman said that they were also taking reports on the non-payment of the workers for discussing with the government and owners.
