Garment workers need to be paid before Aug 16, demand rights organisations

Garments Sromik Adhiker Andolon, a platform of 12 rights organisations, Monday insisted garment factory owners to pay their workers monthly wage for August and festival allowance by the 16^th of this month.

Though the government gave deadline to garment factory owners for payment of wages and festival allowance, many home-bound workers remained unpaid, they said.

The demands and observations came at a gathering by the platform in front of the Press Club in the city.

Mahbubur Rahman coordinator of the platform presided over the gathering. Labour leaders Moshrefa Mishu, Zahirul Haque, Md Yeasin, Taslima Akter, Shameem Imam, Mir Mofazzal Hossain Mostak, Biplob Bhattachariya, Humayun Mujib and Shahidul Islam, among others, spoke at the event.

Labour leaders urged the government to take effective measures so that workers get wage and festival allowance in time.

Labour ministry instructed garment factory owners to pay festival allowance by August 16 and called for partial payment with discussion between owners and workers by August 19 respectively.

If any unstable situation is created over non-payment of wages and various amount of festival allowances, the government and the factory owners will be held responsible for that, labour leaders noted.

Their other demands included stopping workers repression in different industrial zones and announcing TK 16,000 as minimum monthly wage by September.

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