Thin gathering at BGMEA

Only 29 Tuba Group workers out of around 1,500 have so far collected their partial dues from the BGMEA, the trade body of garment manufacturers.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 August 2014, 07:38 AM
Updated : 6 August 2014, 09:27 AM

According to BGMEA President Atiqul Islam, the poor response was due to a heavy rain since Wednesday morning.

"Five buses have been kept ready to bring the workers to the BGMEA office. I think the workers could not come since it's raining since morning," he said.

But, another BGMEA leader took a different view.

"We came to know that the workers, who went to the factory to collect their passes, have been stopped from coming," said BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim.

Rehana and Belal, who work for Tuba Group’s Taif Designs, collected their part-payments from the BGMEA on Wednesday.

Speaking to bdnews24.com they said no one had stopped them from coming.

"I spent last night at home instead of the factory. Came here as I heard that the salary will be given," said Rehana.

When bdnews24.com asked what would happen if the workers failed to take their payments of Wednesday, the BGMEA president said: "If they fail today, they might collect it from the owner later."

The BGMEA had earlier announced its decision to initially pay the Tuba Group workers two months' wages in place of their three months’ withheld payments and festival bonuses.

It had also urged them to withdraw their hunger strike, but the protesting workers rejected the appeal.

Around 1,500 workers of five factories of Tuba Group went on hunger strike on July 28, demanding the payment of three months' wages and festival allowances.

A notice by the BGMEA, posted on Tuesday, however, said that it would not be further liable if the workers fail to show up on Wednesday to collect their May and June wages.