The Samajtantrik Sramik Front has demanded the declaration for alternative holidays instead of cancelling Eid holidays.
The organization said that immediate arrangements should be made for introducing the provision payment of salaries and allowances for the institutional workers including transport, garments, tourism, re-rolling, shop-employees and food and cash assistance for the informal unemployed workers before Eid.
The demands were made at a protest rally in front of the National Press Club on Monday.
Speakers at the rally said that the workers demanded Eid bonus and payment of arrears including April salary within 20th Ramadan. The Ministry of Labour and Employment directed the factory owners to pay the wages of the workers of all the mills and industrial establishments by May 10, ignoring the demands of the workers and employees.
“In the wake of this directive from the government, we feared that using the excuse of corona and the proximity of Eid, the owners could deprive the workers of their fair wages. However, the salary and allowances of millions of workers working in various institutional sectors including re-rolling, tourism, restaurant-sweetmeat, shop employees have not yet been paid. In some places, production has been in full swing for almost the whole year, but the owners have refused to pay Eid bonus on the pretext of corona. Even the salaries and allowances of the workers and employees of export-oriented industries have not been paid yet”, said the speakers.
They further said that millions of people in the informal sector including public transport, tourism workers, riders, vehicle drivers, construction workers, rickshaw-van pullers, hawkers, day-laborers, domestic workers are leading an inhuman life. At a time when it is difficult to procure food to alleviate daily hunger, Eid is adding to their sufferings.
President of Samajtantrik Sramik Front, Rajekuzzaman Ratan, General Secretary Ahsan Habib Bulbul, Co-President Abdur Razzak, Organizing Secretary Khalequzzaman Lipon, Treasurer Zulfiqar Ali, Legal Secretary Adv Bimal Chandra Saha, President of Jatiya Sramik Jote Bangladesh Saifuzzaman Badsha and Convener of Bangladesh Tourism Hotels Workers Employees Federation Rashedur Rahman Rashed were present during this time.
Meanwhile, garment workers staged demonstration at Kalshi in the capital's Mirpur area demanding an extension of Eid holidays. Workers have been protesting in front of the Standard Garment Factory since Monday morning. Police removed them after 12 noon. At around 2 pm, they again gathered on the road in front of the factory.
The workers said that they worked extra hours in the hope that they would get a holiday on Eid.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian said on Sunday that the holidays for Eid is three days and the workers will have to stay near their workplaces to contain the spread of Covid-19. If the workers of all the industries including garment factories are entitled to leave, the owners and workers will decide that by coordinating at the factory level.
