The BGMEA leaders told a meeting with the government yesterday that the October deal signed following a massive unrest in some garment industries has already been implemented in 70 per cent of the garments factories.

This execution will culminate by June through implementation of the deal in rest of the factories.

Any lapses in such implementation on any RMG unit's part would result in complete suspension of apparel business, BGMEA President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez warned while talking to reporters following the meeting with the LGRD adviser at the latter's office.

The BGMEA leaders however expressed their reluctance to take any responsibility of the factories that are not members of the apex trade body for the apparel sector. The BGMEA-member factories are 4100.

Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal, the adviser in charge of the ministries of local government and rural development (LGRD), labour and employment, told the journalists that actions would be taken against the garments failing to give salary to the workers.

He said the officials concerned have already been instructed to take punitive measures against those factories under the existing labour law.

The government has decided to recover the Hatirjheel near Karwan bazaar, the adviser said, expressing his doubt about the future of the building constructed by the BGMEA in the Hatirjheel.

Anwarul Iqbal underscored the need for a stronger workers-owners relation. He said good relations can mitigate many a minor problem.

The adviser told the meeting that the total salary of the workers at the EPZ factories increased by Tk 341 crore following their agitation.

But there are allegations that the owners are giving lower salary to the workers, he said.

The meeting was told that some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were involved in instigating agitation among the garment workers.

The BGMEA leaders alleged that at least 12 local and two foreign NGOs are directly involved in a campaign against garment factories.

The progress in setting up of effluent treatment plants (ETP) in different factories for protecting environment also came up for discussion at the meeting.

The executive chairman of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (Bepza) Brigadier General Ashraf Abdullah Yusuf, who was also present at the meeting, said although the Japanese government provided money for establishing five central ETPs, but that could not be implemented due to some problems.