The move taken for non-payment of workers’ wages, service benefits
The government is likely to file a case with court today against the owner of Tuba Group, Delwar Hossain, for non-payment of wages and service benefits to the workers of his five garment units and non-compliance with the labour law. ‘We have no option but to file a case against the Tuba Group owner as we repeatedly asked him to pay the workers wages and service benefits and to declare the factories shut following the labour act but he did not respond,’ Syed Ahmed, inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, told New Age on Sunday.
On August 18, the Tuba Group management posted a notice on the gates of the factories stating that the factories were closed with effect from June 11, under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act.
The labour ministry on August 26 termed the closure ‘illegal’ and asked the owner to close the factories complying with the relevant guidelines of the Labour Act.
The ministry also asked the factory owner, Delwar Hossain, to pay compensation along with dues to the workers before closing down the factories.
The owner of the Group declined to pay the workers until the insurance money that was claimed for the fire damage in Tazreen Fashions is realised.
Despite a long struggle the workers of the five garment factories – Bugshan Garments Ltd, Taif Designs Ltd, Tuba Fashions Ltd, Tuba Textiles and Mita Designs Ltd – did not receive any wage or allowance before Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha.
Before Eid-ul-Azha the government made a commitment to pay the workers but the commitment was not fulfilled due to a non-cooperation of the factory owner, the government official said.
Syed Ahmed said that they had finalised the process or filing case against the Tuba Group owner for non-payment of wages and service benefits to the workers.
The case will be filed with court today and the law will take its own course, he said.
Delwar, managing director of Tuba Group, said that in the last week of October he sought four more months from the labour ministry to pay the workers but the application might be rejected.
‘It will not be possible for me to pay the workers until the insurance money is realised,’ he said.
A deadly fire at Tazreen Fashions Ltd killed at least 117 workers in November 2012. Its owner Delwar had been in jail since February this year as the police had pressed charges against him for homicide resulting from culpable negligence.
On August 5, 2014, he was released on bail to pay wages to the 1,500 workers of the five factories.
After the Eid-ul-Fitr in August, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Tuba Group management paid only a part of the dues in two phases following an 11-day hunger strike by the workers.
-With New Age input
