Staff Correspondent:

The government will pay Tk525.46 crore in salaries to 33,234 employees of 14 companies that were laid off by Beximco, Shipping and Labour Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said on Thursday (February 27).

At a press conference at the Secretariat, the adviser said the salary distribution will begin on 9 March and is expected to be completed by mid-Ramadan.

The labour advisor say of the total amount, the Finance Ministry will provide Tk325.46 crore from its operational budget, while the Ministry of Labour will contribute the remaining Tk200 crore as a loan.

“We do not want any worker to lose their job, as they also have families to support,” he said.

A 6-member committee has been formed, led by the Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser, Lutfe Siddiqui, to determine the next steps regarding Beximco’s laid-off companies in the industrial park.

The committee includes representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bangladesh Bank, the Attorney General’s office, and the receiver from Beximco. The Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) will serve as the committee’s secretary.

In response to worker protest, the government formed an advisory committee on 24 November last year, led by Sakhawat Hossain, to review the labour and business conditions at the Beximco Industrial Park and make recommendations.

The labour adviser said, “Beximco’s employees should not take actions that would force us to take strict measures.”