Labour rights groups on Monday urged the government and the factory owners to ensure transport for the readymade garment workers during the Covid restrictions the government is enforcing across the country to check a fresh wave of the Covid-19 outbreak.

They said that workers were attending their work amid the surge in coronavirus infection in the country.

The rights groups also demanded ensuring health safety for the RMG workers and not to retrench any worker amid the pandemic.

Two organisations, Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Solidarity and Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, on Monday raised a six-point demand separately and urged the government and the factory owners to announce a special incentive for the workers as they are working risking their life amid the pandemic for the sake of the economy of the country.

Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Solidarity in a statement demanded that the government and the factory owners should ensure transport, incentive and risk allowance for the workers.

The BGWS demanded bringing all RMG workers under Covid test and vaccination and arranging a sufficient number of isolation centres, field hospitals and health cards for the workers.

BGWS president Taslima Akter also demanded that factory authorities ensure full wages and festival allowances for workers and do not terminate any worker amid the pandemic.

Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation on Monday in a letter to the labour secretary alleged that although the government instructed factory owners to arrange transport for the workers amid the pandemic, most of the factories did not comply with the directive.

As a result, workers are at risk of getting infected, SGSF president Nazma Akter said in the letter.

She alleged that health safety guidelines were not implemented in most of the factories.

Especially distancing was not maintained during the entry and exit of workers at the factory premises, she alleged.