Hotel, restaurant workers stage protests for enforcement of minimum wage

Hotel and restaurant workers across Bangladesh on Sunday staged nationwide protest demanding immediate implementation of the government-declared minimum wage and full enforcement of labour laws in this sector.

The demonstrations were held as part of the central programme of the Struggle Council for Implementation of Government-Declared Minimum Wage and Labour Laws in the Hotel-Restaurant Sector.

The workers participated in protest marched city streets s and held rallies in front of various police station of Dhaka metropolis and elsewhere in the country.

At the rallies, workers strongly demanded immediate enforcement of the government-declared minimum wage, issuance of appointment letters and identity cards, ensuring an eight-hour working day, payment of fair overtime wages, and effective implementation of weekly holidays and other legal benefits guaranteed under labour laws.

In Dhaka, rallies organised from Kotwali, Sutrapur, Wari and Bangshal police stations were held in front of the Fulbaria Fire Service office.

Convener of the Struggle Council Akhtaruzzaman Khan said hotel and restaurant workers had long been deprived of their lawful rights due to negligence and exploitation by owners.

He warned tougher programmes would be announced if the wage gazette and labour laws were not implemented without delay.

Bangladesh Trade Union Federation (BTUF) Dhaka Metropolitan Committee Co-Vice President Md Abu Sayeed Engineer and Joint Secretary Atikul Islam Titu also spoke at the rally, criticising the widespread violation of labour laws in the hotel sector.

Separate rallies were held in Jatrabari, Kajla, Shyampur and Syedabad areas in front of Dhaka Hotel at Jatrabari.

BTUF Vice President Md Yasin and Office Secretary Md Ali addressed the gathering, reiterating workers' demands and calling for strict government monitoring of the sector.    �"UNB