Last month’s pay still due

Garment workers continued demonstrating on the streets for the fourth consecutive day yesterday demanding last month's pay.

Hundreds of them defied social distancing orders as they protested near their factories in the capital, Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur.

They also demanded that the workers laid off over the last one week be rehired.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) on Tuesday said the government will sue factory owners who fail to pay the workers by today.

DIFE Inspector General Shibnath Roy ordered officials to make a list of companies that fail to meet the deadline. The list will be sent by April 20 to the labour ministry which will take legal action.

Trade licences of these factories may not be renewed, Roy warned in a statement.

More than 500 workers of Radiance Fadhions Ltd, ZA Apparel Ltd and Tajir Apparels Ltd demonstrated in Khejurbagan area of Ashulia demanding their wage arrears.

At nearby Jamgorah, almost 194 workers of Fashion Forum who got fired yesterday morning staged a sit-in in front of the factory, some of the workers said.

Fashion Forum Manager Mesbah Uddin said the terminated workers were there because the factory was paying their salaries.

Also in Ashulia, Alpha Clothing Ltd terminated nearly 150 workers in two phases, said Khairul Mintoo, organising secretary of Garnent Sramik Trade Union Kendra.

Alpha's management asked workers, employed less than a year ago, to submit their factory identity cards before taking last month's salary and leave.

Only those who submitted their identity cards got paid, grieving workers told The Daily Star.

Hundreds of disgruntled workers from different garment factories in Gazipur blockaded Dhaka-Mymensingh highway demanding arrears and protesting the recent layoffs.

Over 1,200 workers of Zaman Fashions Ltd at Tepirbari took to the streets for what many of them said was unpaid salary for the last three months.

Several thousand workers of Intermax Garments Ltd, Stylecraft Limited and Shyanoli Garment Limited were also on the streets demanding last months' pay.

Protests rocked Badda, Uttara and Mirpur in the capital.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association claims that its member factories paid last month's salary to approximately 19,19,600 of their 24,72,417 workers as of yesterday.

At least 1,186 of 2,274 bgmea member factories have paid the salaries, it said.

"I hope 80 percent of workers will receive the salary by today [April 16]. The banks are helping us," BGMEA President Rubana Haq said in a WhatsApp audio message.

"By April 20, all workers will receive the salary. Mostly the small and medium garment factories are delaying the payment," she told The Daily Star in the message.

She added that she had urged factory owners not to terminate any worker.

Meanwhile, reiterating earlier orders from the authorities, the DIFE said only the factories that have work orders from the international retailers and brands and the ones that are making personal protective equipment are allowed to run their units after ensuring adequate safety measures for the workers.