Leaders of ready-made garment (RMG) sector yesterday demanded payment of Eid bonus equivalent to the salary of a worker, dues, salary of September by 20th of Ramadan.
They declared a serious of programmes to realise their 10-point demand, including rescheduling for the sale of subsidised commodities by BGMEA and payment of 50 percent dearness allowance with effect from June 2008.
Labour leaders criticised the garment owners for confining workers to their workplaces by deploying a huge number of police at the factories on security grounds.
Garment owners are deceiving workers in the name of selling essential commodities at subsidised prices, they added, but they are not able to buy anything for scheduled office timing.
Labour leaders said BGMEA is selling essential commodities at subsidised rates at the time when workers are at their workplaces which do not allow them to avail the opportunity.
Bangladesh Garments Workers Unity Council (BGWUC), a platform of 21 registered garment workers' federation, said this at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium in the city.
They said they will hand over memorandums to BGMEA authorities, BKMEA and labour ministry on September 13, 15 and 21 respectively to realise their demands.
Workers must show their respective identity cards to buy the commodities at subsidised rates, but over 50 percent RMG workers of different garment factories are yet to receive their identity cards.
The leaders alleged that BGMEA is playing a farcical role with them, saying garment factories, especially in Gazipur, have been turned into jails by deploying a huge number of police, restricting the free movement of workers.
Deploying police on security ground, owners forced the workers to work for long hours after scheduled working period, they said, adding that taking the chance of the emergency state.
Labour leaders said the government must take steps against the owners when they take any initiative against the interest of the workers.
BGWUC leader Md Rafiq presented a keynote paper in the press conference.
Convener of the council Tauhidur Rahman and central leaders Amirul Huq, Salauddin Swapan and Sirajul Islam took part in the press conference.