Workers Safety Forum urges owners not to lay off workers

Workers Safety Forum has urged the government so that industry owners do not lay off workers while the factories are shut down for an indefinite time due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

They made the statement in a press release on Thursday marking seven years of Rana Plaza tragedy that claimed 1,136 lives and injured another 1,986.

They said the owners could not lay off their workers because of the lockdown and state declared general-holiday.

The forum has also demanded that the government must issue an official notification mentioning that articles 12, 16, 20 and 26 of the labour laws will not be applicable in this regard.

Due to this global pandemic, factories and other formal and informal economic sectors have shut down for an indefinite time, taking a toll on the people of the country, especially the working class.

The forum has asked for the job security of the workers and the continuation of salaries during the national holidays.

The forum has made some demands to protect these people from the grave danger: the government must create a national committee which will include representatives from the government, owners, workers, buyers and donor organisations; a list of workers should be made by assessing their losses; the government must provide financial assistance as well as ration facilities to day labourers; wages of the upcoming three months along with the bonuses and other facilities must be ensured; the owners and the government must provide proper information to the workers including information about returning to their workplaces; the government must ensure that no more workers suffer for indecision from the owners or the government; proper treatment and compensations should be guaranteed if workers are infected with coronavirus while working in their respective workplaces.