Garment workers yesterday staged a demonstration in the city demanding immediate payment of their outstanding salaries and festival bonus.

Bangladesh Garments Workers Unity Council organised the demonstration and held a rally at Muktangan in the city in the morning. Presided over by Amirul Haq Amin, it was addressed, among others, by Salahuddin Swapan, Kurshid Alam, Abul Hossain, Shahidul Islam, Joynal Abedin, Selina Akhter and Shabana Rahman.

Addressing the rally, the leaders said workers and employees in both public and private sector get festival bonus in two Eids. But the garment workers are being deprived of their just wages. Eid bonus is a dream to them.

They said though the garment sector earned 74 per cent of the total export of the country, its workers do not get their salaries regularly.

The garment leaders urged the owners to immediately pay all outstanding salaries with festival bonus.

They expressed deep anguish over some recent incidents in which garment workers, who have been demanding their dues, came under attack from the hired goons of the owners.

The leaders also criticised the government for not taking action against the attackers and said the role of BGMEA is also mysterious.