Staff Correspondent:

Workers of three ready-made garment factories owned by the TNZ Group on Friday (March 28) said, they are owed a staggering Tk17.78 crore in unpaid wages, bonuses and other allowances, but they were paid only Tk1.05 crore on Thursday.

The workers broke down the amount of dues the owners owe them in a press statement issued after holding a press conference at the Shrom Bhaban this afternoon.

The press conference was held following an announcement last night, just hours after Labour and Employment Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain had said that disgruntled workers of TNZ Group were paid their dues by selling Apparel Eco Plus Ltd’s factory cars.

Condemning the adviser’s announcement, the workers on Friday said the workers of TNZ Apparels Ltd, Apparel Plus Eco Ltd and Apparel Art Ltd have been staying at the Shrom Bhaban for five days, hoping to get their unpaid dues.

“The workers have not slept, eaten, or bathed for 5 days now. The workers have run out of patience by sitting like this day after day. Our families are waiting for us. If we get our Eid salary bonus, we will go home and celebrate Eid,” reads a press statement, signed by Md Shahidul Islam, Rekha Akhter Tinni and Md Shaheen Alam, on behalf of the TNZ Group workers.

In the statement, they disclosed the account of their dues.

According to the statement, the workers of TNZ Apparels are owed over Tk6.94 crore in unpaid wages for February and March, and over Tk1.69 crore as Eid bonus.

A total of 826 workers of Apparel Eco Plus were owed a total of Tk6.75 crore in unpaid salaries of January, February and March, Eid bonus, and other allowances.

They were paid a total of Tk1.05 crore yesterday, reads the press statement.

Meanwhile, 240 workers of Apparel Art Ltd are owed a total of Tk2.04 crore in unpaid salaries for three months, Eid bonuses and other allowances.

The TNZ Group workers criticised the government for creating confusion over their dues.

“On the one hand, the government is terming the workers’ protests as ‘incitement’, and on the other hand, the government is ignoring the peaceful movement day after day,” the TNZ workers said.

“In this situation, if we do not receive our dues, including Eid bonus, we will continue our programme. If our dues are not paid before Eid, if necessary, we will go to the chief advisor to present our demands,” they added.