Some of the ready-made garment factory owners have increased holidays for 5 to 10 days amid demonstrations by the workers demanding extended holiday.
Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) requested their members to follow the government orders to fix Eid holiday to three-day to contain Covid-19 infection.
However, workers of Mirpur-based RMG demand for extending holidays and took to the streets. Responding their demand Standard Group at Kalshi of Mirpur area and Ha-Meem Group of Tongi authorities increased their Eid holiday to 10 days.
BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim said to a local media, “We appreciated the government move. However, none of the workers have accepted a three-day holiday also they are going beyond control. That’s why some factory owners have granted workers holidays for five to seven days. Besides this, the factory authorities are adjusting the working hours with the holidays.”
BKMEA Vice-President Mohammad Hatem said, “Already we requested the factory owners to fix holiday period on mutual understanding between owners and workers. Many factories having no post-Eid assignment or less workload are granting their workers days for four to 10 days. There is no problem over Eid holidays in the BKMEA member factories.”
Last Sunday, in a tripartite meeting with the factory owners, union leaders, and government officials, a decision was taken that Eid holidays must not exceed three days and the workers will not leave their workstation during the Eid days. However, consensus with the factory authorities, workers could extend their holidays during Eid.
Though all the factory authorities have not paid their worker’s monthly wages and festival bonus yet. But BGMEA and BKMEA said that more than 95% of their member factories have already paid their workers.
