BGMEA: Salary of workers outside Dhaka will be sent to them

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said workers currently outside Dhaka should not come back now.

A BGMEA statement was issued in this regard on Wednesday.

Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on PR Khan Monirul Alam Shuvo said the salaries of workers for the month of April will be sent to them through Mobile Financial Services (MFS), the statement said.

The BGMEA also said the RMG sector opened around 2.5 million Mobile Financial Service (MFS) accounts since April 4 in line with the government’s move to provide salaries and allowances to its workers and employees through mobile banking.

The accounts have been opened through MFS providers bKash, Rocket, and Nagad.

Earlier, Bangladesh Bank instructed all authorities concerned to open MFS accounts for workers and employees of export-oriented industries and factories by April 20 in order to facilitate payment of salaries and allowances from the government’s financial package.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, in a meeting with garment factory owners at the secretariat on Tuesday, said steps were taken so that garment workers cannot enter Dhaka from outside as RMG factories will be operated on a limited scale with workers staying in Dhaka now.

At that time, the garment factory owners said 98% wages of the workers for the month of March have been paid while the rest will be paid soon.

On Sunday, thousands of readymade garment (RMG) workers returned to their factories in Mymensingh, Narayanganj, and Gazipur of Dhaka division in fear of losing their jobs, amid the nationwide shutdown to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

The workers were frustrated as this was the second time the respective garment factories directed them to return while the government ordered them to stay at home.

On April 24, BGMEA President Rubana Huq said the reopening of their factories on April 26, fully depended on the improvement of the coronavirus situation in the country.

She said they would consult relevant stakeholders and the authorities concerned before reopening the RMG factories.

The apex body of the apparel sector had also tried to reopen the factories on April 5 and several thousand workers came to Dhaka from the adjoining districts, taking immense trouble amid the shutdown and the serious risk of coronavirus infection.

As the government extended the shutdown until April 25, the BGMEA authorities also revised its decision to reopen the factories.

As of Tuesday, confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 6,462 in Bangladesh with 549 new cases. During this period, three people died from Covid-19 surging the total numbers of deaths to 155.