Tazreen workers yet to get salary

Jarina Begum cries looking at Tazreen Fashions yesterday. Her daughter Putul, a worker of the factory, has been missing since the November 24 blaze claimed 111 lives . Putul is presumed to be one of the 53 dead who had to be buried without being identified. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Despite an earlier announcement by the BGMEA, the workers of the fire-ravaged Tazreen Fashions factory did not get their salary yesterday.
Enraged at what they claimed was dillydallying over payment, the workers brought out a protest procession and staged a rally at Nishchintapur in Ashulia around 10 in the morning.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association wanted to give a month's salary, but the workers demanded pay for three more months and 13 days in line with the labour laws.
A couple of days back, BGMEA announced it would arrange a month's salary for the workers of Tazreen Fashions, where a devastating fire on November 24 killed 111 people and injured around 100 others.
Since around 8:00am yesterday, the workers started to gather at the Nishchintapur primary school premises for their salary. An hour later, BGMEA leaders and officials reached the school ground and announced the workers would be taken to Industrial Relations Institute in Tongi and paid the last month's salary.
The workers right away refused to go to Tongi and said they would not budge without four months and 13 days' salary.
As things threatened to spiral out of control, the BGMEA leaders held a meeting with government high-ups, local administration and police officials, and workers leaders to reach a decision on the issue.
After the meeting, police officials and the BGMEA leaders announced that the workers would have to be listed anew as Tazreen Fashions had lost all documents including staff registers in the fire, some workers told The Daily Star.
Abdul Ahad Ansary, chairman of the BGMEA's standing committee on labour, education and welfare, said the association had preparations to pay a month's salary. But it could not do that yesterday, as the workers kept demanding extra salaries. To complicate matters further, he added, the workers raised some other demands.
Rafiqul Islam Sujan, a workers leader, told The Daily Star last night that factory staff had made a list of some 2000 workers who gathered at the school ground in the morning. The workers also put forward to the BGMEA a number of other demands that included an authentic list of those killed and injured in the fire; Tk 10 lakh in compensation for the families of those killed; Tk 5 lakh for those injured; and proper treatment of the injured.
Atiqul Islam, former vice-president of BGMEA, told The Daily Star that there would be a meeting at the labour ministry on November 4 to decide on the amount of salary and other dues and compensation. Garment owners, government representatives, labour leaders and other stakeholders would participate in the meeting.
He hoped the workers would get all their dues by December 6.
No official of Tazreen could be reached over the phone for their comments.