Garment Sramik Front (GSF) has called for the payment of garment workers’ salaries and Eid bonus by July 15.
President of the organisation Ahsan Habib Bulbul and its general secretary Selim Mahmud made the call in a statement sent to the media on Friday.
The statement said that the rate of Covid-19 infections and number of deaths are breaking record every day. A complete lockdown has been enforced to control the infection and the garment workers have been kept out of the purview of the lockdown.
However, no transportation facilities were provided for their commute. They are being harassed and fired for reaching late to their workplaces after walking miles after miles due to the closure of public transport. Their working pressure has doubled and they are being forced to reduce food costs as the prices of daily necessities have almost doubled.
The statement further said that despite working at risk, neither the factory owners nor the government is acknowledging the workers’ sacrifice. The role of the government departments concerned is questionable in ensuring the wages and job security of the workers who are keeping the wheel of production in motion at the risk of their lives. Starving workers who take to the streets for 3 - 4 months of arrears are being beaten by the police but the owners who are trying to embezzle the wages of the workers are not being punished.
The statement said that only 10 days are left for the Eid holiday but almost no factory has paid the Eid bonus to the workers. They demanded the payment of all arrears of garment workers including the salary of June, overtime wages, and Eid bonus equivalent to at least one month's wage by July 15.
