The Dhaka metropolitan branch of Bangladesh Workers' and Employees' Federation has demanded immediate payment of arrears of the workers.
If the workers are not paid their salaries and bonuses before Eid, there will be massive movements, warned the organization.
They staged a demonstration and made the demands in front of the National Press Club on Friday.
Speakers at the demonstration said that the government has kept factories open during the pandemic in the interest of the owners, putting the lives of the country's workers at risk. However, workers are not given salary and bonus in time.
Meanwhile, the section on working hours and overtime of the labor law has been suspended. As a result, the employers are increasing the production as per their wishes by creating work pressure on the workers.
The uncertainty over getting salary-bonus before the upcoming Eid has made the workers so anxious that a massive movement could occur at any time.
“Therefore, we are demanding payment of salary and festival allowances of the workers before Eid, avoiding the traditional way of blaming the workers,” added the speakers.
They further said that a number of owners' organizations including BGMEA and BKMEA, have asked for large-scale incentive packages from the government this year as well, on the pretext of paying workers' salaries and bonuses. But from the experience of the last year, it can be understood that the owners, while making excuses of business losses, are planning to deprive the workers of the salary-bonus and embezzle this incentive amount.
“The owners should stop this malpractice. We would like to urge the government to instruct the factory owners to pay the workers' salaries and bonuses immediately,” said the speakers.
President of the organization’s Dhaka metropolitan branch Raju Ahmed, vice-president Manas Nandi and members of the organization including Taslima Akhter Beauty and Bhajan Biswas were present at the time.
President of Nari Mukti Kendra, Seema Dutta also spoke along with others.