SGSF seeks legal actions against factories failed to pay March-April wages

Labour leaders pressed for legal actions against factories that are yet to pay March-April wages and eid onus and illegally terminated workers amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite repeated calls from the government for timely payment of wage and other allowances and not terminating workers, a good number of factories did not pay heed to the calls, they alleged.

Sammilita Garments Sramik Federation (SGSF) on Wednesday in a letter to the labour ministry again demanded legal actions against these factories.

“Many workers could not rejoin their respective workplaces after eid vacation as factory authorities terminated them illegally and took away identity cards,” Nazma Akter, president of the Federation said in the letter.

Besides, a good number of workers did not receive March and April wages and eid bonus, she said, adding workers who were not allowed to join workplaces as per the health ministry’s instruction to follow social distancing also did not receive the monthly wages or eid bonus or the both.

The Federation also alleged that the number of coronavirus infected garment workers are rising as factories are not strictly following the health safety guidelines provided by the government.

The right group urged the government for necessary measures to force the errant factories to maintain the health guidelines, ensure adequate treatment for the infected workers by their respective workers and leave with payment.

When asked, Ms Akter said though the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) prepared a list of more than 350 factories that did not pay March wages and sent it to labour ministry, they had no information whether government had taken any legal action against them.

She said they can work jointly with DIFE and Industrial Police in this regard.

[email protected]