The government will pay arrear wages and allowances to over 27,000 laid-off workers from various Beximco Group industrial units by the end of this month.

Labour and Employment Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday made the announcement following a meeting of the advisory council committee to review the labour and business situation of Beximco Industrial Park at the secretariat.

However, the payable amount has not been finalised yet, and they will disclose the amount to be paid to the workers at a meeting on February 18.

‘The receiver who was initially appointed has been relieved of his duties and the new receiver took charge on the February 5. He needs some time to understand everything,’ he added.

In response to the question regarding the source of the money, he said that it would be given from the finance department or by selling shares of the Beximco. They will collect money from various sources.

Responding to a question whether the Beximco workers will become unemployed, he said that they are all skilled workers, so there is no possibility of becoming jobless.

‘There is already a shortage of 5-6 per cent workers in the sector and I think the workers will surely find a solution in the EPZ or somewhere else. However, we are also working to address any situation,’ he added.

Responding to another question, M Shakhawat said that many MPs have businesses that are still running. Here, party identity is not an issue; basically, the big issue is the volume of loans.

‘Beximco withdrew loan of Tk 50,000 crore, which may not be possible to repay even by selling all its assets, that is why no bank is willing to give them fresh loans and the current situation emerged,’ he added.

Regarding the non-inclusion of labour leaders and buyers in this committee, he said that it is a matter of the office, not of labour leaders or buyers, but if they have any reasonable suggestions, the government would welcome them.

On November 24, 2024, the government formed an advisory council committee to review the labour and business situation of Beximco Industrial Park.

The committee’s purpose is to evaluate Beximco’s current situation’s impact on surrounding industrial establishments and public life and recommend appropriate actions to address these issues.

The committee has already conducted several meetings.