Dhaka, May 3 (BDNEWS) - Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporters (BGMEA) Association Tuesday handed over 19 checks valued at Tk 79,000 each to the relatives of the workers who died in the nine-story Spectrum Sweater building collapse on April 11 at Savar.
The remaining Tk 21,000 of the pledged Tk one lakh would be disbursed through labour court as per the government rule.
The check giving ceremony was held at BGMEA office in the capital's Karwan Bazar where relatives of 19 dead workers received checks of IFIC bank.
The dead workers used to get on an average Tk 5,000 per month as wages.
According to official figure 61 workers were killed in the building collapse.
After the catastrophe of Spectrum Sweater Industries, BGMEA and the factory owners announced for the claimants of the dead workers.
Only 24 claimants were available for the dead workers so far. Of them, 19 claimants were present Tuesday.
Dead workers' father, mother, sister, wife or brothers received checks from the president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Awal Mintoo and BGMEA president Annisul Huq.
While collecting the checks, the relatives had to submit a certificate from chairman saying he knows the claimant and a copy of the police inquest report.
Second vice president of BGMEA, Anwarul Alam Parvez, Chairman of the BGMEA safety cell Ali Azim Khan, general manager of Spectrum Sweater Industries Jahangir Alam, deputy general manager of the Sweater Industries Mehboob Jafar Bokhari were also present.
As per the BGMEA law, a worker who will die from industry accident would receive Tk 1 lakh as compensation.
"It is not possible to compensate for a death. No owner wishes his workers became dead. It takes two to three years for an owner to develop a skilled worker," said Abdul Awal Mintoo.
Annisul said, "Compensation of death is not easy to scale by money."
He also announced that BGMEA is formulating a mandatory law for each factory owner to open insurance for the make workers.
BDNEWS/1520 hrs
