Legal action will be taken against the owners of the Rupganj factory where over 50 workers died in a fire, if there is evidence of their negligence, State Minister for Labor and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian pledged on Friday. “A committee would be formed by the Ministry of Labor and Employment to look into the overall cause of the tragic accident. It will also the involvement of child labour in this factory. If evidence is found, action will be taken against the employer in accordance with labor law,” she said after visiting the fire site on Friday evening. Read: Trapped in a building with no fire exit and gates locked, workers were burned to a pulp She also said that  the family of the deceased would be provided with Tk 2 lac and the injured Tk 50,000 tomorrow from the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation fund under the labor ministry. The state minister visited the injured workers at Dhaka Medical College Hospitals and inquired about their treatment. A massive fire broke out in a seven-storey factory of Hashem Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sajeeb Group, in Bhulta of Rupganj on Thursday evening. The confirmed death toll till filing of this report stands at 52, and is expected to rise. As more details emerged of the catastrophe, it became clear that the workers were left with no chance in the face of the raging inferno, that has been further fuelled by combustible items such as ghee, butter, oil and polybags stored on each floor.   Even so, the workers may have had a chance at escape, if only the building code had been maintained to provide an emergency exit, or the management had not implemented the medieval practice of locking the gates of the factory floors, that carried undertones of the horrific Tazreen Garments fire in 2012 that killed at least 112. Read: Factory fires: Bangladesh's recurring nightmare Deputy Director of the Fire Service Debashish Bardhan confirmed to UNB that rescue workers had to literally break down the locked collapsible gate on the building's 4th floor to go in and recover the bodies. That is where they found 49 of the bodies, burnt to a pulp overnight on the factory floor.   According to the information gathered from relatives, 45 workers are still missing. Most of the workers in the factory were juveniles. A five-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the fire.Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Mostain Billah has announced assistance of Tk 25,000 to each family of the deceased and Tk 10,000 for the treatment of the injured from the funds of the district administration. Besides, on behalf of the factory owner, Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi Bir Pratik will make arrangements for 'compensation' to the victims.

Amid the global pandemic, Grameenphone (GP) contributed around Tk 31.4 crore to the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation Fund under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. A five-member delegation led by Grameenphone’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Syed Tanvir Husain handed over the cheque to State Minister for Labour and Employment, Begum Monnujan Sufian at the ministry Tuesday. READ: Grameenphone board approves 275% cash dividend At the cheque handover ceremony State Minister for Labour and Employment and the Chairman of Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation Begum Monnujan Sufian said, “The government has formed a foundation fund under the Bangladesh Labor Act for the welfare of working people. During this disastrous time of coronavirus, around two thousand workers have been provided assistance worth Tk 6.25 crore from this fund,” GP CHRO Syed Tanvir Husain said, “We believe that our humble contribution to the labour welfare fund will inspire many others to come forward and stand by the workers in need.” Around 165 local, foreign and multinational companies, including Grameenphone, have been regularly contributing a certain portion of their dividends to this fund which is increasing every month. READ: Grameenphone announces 15,500 4G towers in country Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment K.M. Abdus Salam, Director General of Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation Begum Jebunnesa Karim, Shakila Zerin Ahmed, Director of Workers Welfare Foundation, Director-General of the Department of Labour Gautam Kumar, Grameenphone’s Head of Regulatory Affairs Hossain Sadat, HR Business Partner & Circle HR Head Yeasir Mahmood Khan, Grameenphone’s Industrial Relations Head K M Sabbir Ahmed and Md. Asaduzzaman a member of Grameenphone’s Industrial Relations Department were present among others at this event.

The workers, including the ones employed in the apparel sector, will not be allowed to leave their workplaces during the upcoming three-day Eid holidays to stop further spread of Covid-19, Labour and Employment State Minister Begum Monnujan Sufian said Sunday. The state minister made the announcement during a tripartite meeting held in the capital to discuss the present situation of the workers, their salaries, and Eid bonus issues. Also read: Country will be free of child labour within 2025: Monnujan Sufian

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Thursday urged employers to pay the arrear and Eid bonus of workers within May 10. She made the call at the 67th meeting of the Tripartite Consultative Committee (TCC) and the 8th meeting of RMG TCC. Munnujan Sufian urged employers to pay the arrears before Eid-ul-Fitr and suggested providing zone-based holidays to workers if possible. As the employers and workers’ leaders demanded taking special initiative to provide vaccine jabs to the workers, the state minister said she would send a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard. She also urged the workers to maintain strict health guidelines to be safe from the coronavirus infection.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Saturday said the factories have to be compliant for the development of the leather sector.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Tuesday said that the country will be free of child labour within 2025 according to the target of the sustainable development goals (SDG).

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Wednesday urged all employers to clear the salaries and Eid-ul-Azha bonuses of their employees by July 25.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Friday urged worker leaders not to approach foreigners with complaints about any problem faced by Bangladeshi garment workers.