A group of labour leaders of the local garment sector yesterday urged the government to form an emergency fund to provide financial benefits to the laid-off workers, as many are still deprived.

The union leaders made the demand at a meeting with the members of the Labour Reform Commission at the Department of Labour in Dhaka.

To press home their multiple demands, the leaders gave the example of over 40,000 laid-off workers at 16 textile and garment factories of Beximco Group.

They said the Beximco workers will now face trouble in obtaining the service benefits as the group has been struggling to pay the workers since the arrest of its vice-chairman Salman F Rahman.

The Beximco management announced the termination of workers recently, citing a lack of work orders.

Many other factories may also lay off workers amid the current economic situation, the leaders said.

Uncertainty about accessing service benefits increases when workers are laid off in such circumstances, and an emergency fund could be of great help in ensuring these workers receive their due service benefits, they said.

The leaders emphasised that neither the government nor the owners alone can fully cover the service benefits; instead, a fund jointly formed by the government and the owners can serve this purpose.

The Labour Reform Commission has been holding a series of meetings with the workers and stakeholders. Some 12 meetings have so far been held, said Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the commission.

The commission will hold 60 meetings with different sectors to receive recommendations for the legal protection of workers and setting a national minimum wage, he said.

In yesterday's meeting, the union leaders said the workers are not properly getting help from the central fund, which was set up for garment workers' welfare in 2016 where the country's apparel makers contribute 0.03 percent of their export proceeds in each fiscal year.

The leaders also spoke about establishing a better working environment and introducing a rationing system for the workers, said the chief of the commission, the tenure of which will end in mid-February next year.

The labour law should be reformed to ensure that workers receive justice, he said.

Closing factories is not a solution, and established factories need assistance to remain operational, he also stated.

The government should also be aware that many may close factories and terminate workers in order to receive bank loan waivers, Ahmed said.

The government should identify whether the owners are laying off the workers wilfully or there is any valid reason, he said.

In the meeting, Montu Ghosh, president of Garments Workers' Trade Union Centre, suggested introducing strong provisions in the labour law so that the workers get payments in time.

Kazi Md Ruhul Amin, general secretary of the Bangladesh Trade Union Centre, recommended ensuring the safety of workers' lives at the workplace, improving industrial relations, and developing labour laws that meet global standards.