Workers of 28 hotels and restaurants in Jessore are suffering as the eateries have been closed without paying their salary.
According to local sources, the workers of the hotels and restaurants have been continuing their movement since 2009 under the banner of Bangladesh Hotel Restaurants Sweetmeat and Bakery Workers' Union demanding the salary according to national gazette.
Taijel Islam, the union acting secretary, said a discussion was held on June 30 in the deputy commissioner's meeting room presided by Additional District Magistrate Shohel Hasan where the restaurants' owners and leaders were present.
The meeting had decided that the workers would get ID card and all kinds of festival bonus including Tk300 for house rent, Tk200 for transport cost with their regular salary.
He said the restaurants owners violated the decision which they took in a meeting held at the office of deputy commissioner. They made force to the workers in the morning before the Eid day for signature on a false document which would say that the workers had got everything including 45 percent Eid bonus of their basic salary.
The agitated workers did not sign the paper and protested the proposal.
At one stage, the 14 restaurants' owner closed the eateries on the day without paying the salary and bonus.
On July 11, the union acting secretary met the deputy commissioner in his room and informed the incident to him. Maximum hotel owners and leaders were also present at the moment.
The DC ordered the hotel owners for giving the payment to the workers and follow the decision which was taken in the meeting earlier.
But on July 12, 14 more restaurants had been closed forcefully, said the union leader.
Meanwhile, the workers have submitted a memorandum to the DC protesting the incident.
The workers of the hotels and restaurants said they were facing acute financial crisis due to the illegal decision.
On the other hand, the owners of the eateries alleged that they were bound to close the hotels as the workers were not regular at their working place.
The union General Secretary Mukul Hasan said they had arranged a meeting yesterday protesting decision of the hotel owners.
He said they would continue their movement until the workers get their rights.
It is mentionable, around 14,000 workers are working in 64 hotel and restaurants in the district. Of them, only six restaurants' workers have got their salary this year.
