Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has finally agreed to provide funds for paying a one-month wage of around 1,300 workers of Swan Garments under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“The bank management has verbally informed me that they would give fund to the Swan Factory owner to pay a one-month wage under the CSR,” Inspector General of Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Syed Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune.
The bank will formally inform the Ministry of Labour and Employment of the issue after taking approval from its board and Bangladesh Bank, he added.
Swan Garments mortgaged its properties to Islami Bank. It owed the bank Tk42 crore.
As per the committee’s assessment, the factory owner needs over Tk1.39 crore to pay wages of workers for the month of April and staff for the month of February, March and April.
“Providing a one-month wage will act as a cushion against the workers’ agitation as they had been demonstrating for their dues,” said Wazedul Islam, general secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Centre (BTUC).
“We will take the next course of action to realise the workers’ dues later and if needed, the workers will further go on demonstration,” said Wazedul.
The main task of the government and the stakeholders is to clear the property ownership issue its owner is dead and it is needed to sell properties to pay off all the dues of workers, he added.
In the first meeting of July 23, the committee, formed to settle the Swan Garment crisis, sought loan from the bank to pay workers wages.
But the bank rejected the request of lending Swan Garments as there was no legitimate heir to the factory properties after the owner had died.
