Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has so far distributed wages and other benefits among 1,776 of its listed 3,617 workers of factories that were housed in Rana Plaza, refusing the workers’ demand for four months’ pay.
The workers expressed dissatisfaction at the BGMEA payments and compensation packages, which many claimed were less than what they deserved.
The garment owners’ association had asked for two days on Tuesday afternoon to decide on the payment packages – refusing to accept the demands of the workers – but it started the payment at night allegedly after convincing a few workers.
Md Abdul Ahad Ansari, chairman of the BGMEA standing committee on labour education and welfare, however, claimed that they had sat in a meeting with the workers on Tuesday night and all of them agreed about the BGMEA’s payment strategy.
Ansari told the Dhaka Tribune that they had followed the existing labour laws to fix the amount for the payment.
“According to the law, every worker will get due salary for April along with the basic salary of one month. Those who have not exhausted their 14 days’ earned leave will be paid an extra amount. Besides, a worker will get another one month’s salary for every year in the service,” he said.
“But those who worked for less than three months will only get the salary for April and extra one month’s basic salary,” Ansari added.
He further said the BGMEA could not obtain the document of the workers’ overtime work hours, so they would pay for average 60 hours of overtime.
The BGMEA paid 580 workers on Tuesday night. The distribution will resume at 11pm on Friday.
Today its officials will visit the 22 hospitals – where wounded workers are receiving treatment – to make their payments.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune many workers, whose service period is less than a year, alleged that they would get paid less because of the average overtime hours.
“With 120 hours’ extra work my salary usually exceeds Tk9,000. But today I have been paid Tk8,000, which includes one month’s extra basic salary. This is absurd,” said Aziron who worked on the second floor of Rana Plaza.
She said most workers backtracked from their demand for four months’ wages in the face of acute financial crisis.
“Many traumatised workers wanted to go home as soon as possible after the disaster with whatever amount they are paid. So they agreed,” said another worker named Asma Akhter.
BGMEA officials said they had contacted workers on their mobile phones so no one is left out.