The families of 26 victims of the Tazreen factory fire have been waiting since May to receive the compensations pledged by the government for the devastating incident that took place on November 24, 2012.
Earlier this year, the Labour Ministry prepared a list of 26 Tazreen victims – of whom 14 were unidentified or missing workers – and sent it to the Prime Minister’s Office. In May, the ministry informed the family members of the victims that the compensations would be given within a week.
Earlier, the High Court ordered the government and the BGMEA – the association of garment factory owners – to pay the compensations. Each family was to get Tk7 lakh, as per the recommendations made by the government and the BGMEA.
Yesterday, the family members and survivors of the Tazreen tragedy and Activist Anthropologists group held an open press conference in front of the National Press Club demanding the compensations before Eid-ul-Fitr.
During the demonstration, the organisers put a golden tin-made box full of money on the street and wrote on it “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund: Tk105 crore.” The box was later locked and painted red.
Family members and survivors then put photos of their beloved ones and those were remain missing on the box.
The survivors and victims’ families of the Tazreen fire incident and the Rana Plaza collapse have been waiting for a long time to be compensated from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund where the BGMEA and others contributed money.
At least 112 people, mostly female workers, were killed and many others were injured during the fire incident at the Tazreen Fashions Ltd factory in Nishchintapur of Ashulia on November 24, 2012. It is a sister concern of Toba Group.
At the event, several survivors including Rukaiya Begum and Amena Begum described the ordeals they had been undergoing due to a lack of financial support.
Sumaiya Khatun, one of the victims, died on March 21 this year because she lacked money for proper treatment, they said.
The victims’ family members warned the government that they would wage movements if they were not paid the pledged compensation before Eid.
At the event, Shahidul Islam, finance secretary of Garments Workers Unity Forum (GWUF), said: “The families of the missing workers have lost their only source of income. The survivors have been facing problems in finding new job because of injuries. Many of the victims are unable to pay the high medical costs. Some workers who survived the fire succumbed to their injuries because they did not receive any support at all. The delay in the payment of the deserved compensation is only making their lives worse.”