In last one year, the EPZ authorities sacked 40 to 50 leaders of Workers Welfare Council (WWC) without giving them any service benefits and termination benefits, much to the dissatisfaction of the workers, they said.

Delay in the implementation of the decisions reached at the May 24 meeting among the government and the representatives of owners and workers also added to the discontentment.

The unanimous decisions of the May 24 meeting included issuing of official appointment letters to all garment workers, an increase in their minimum wages, weekly holidays for the workers, and allowing trade union at every factory.

The tripartite meeting was held following violent demonstrations by garment workers in Savar, Gazipur and Mirpur on May 22 and 23 that left a worker dead and thousands injured and caused huge damage to garment property.

"Salary and others facilities inside the EPZ factories are better than other factories in the country but the EPZ factory owners misbehave with workers and sack them without paying their dues," Bangladesh Garments Sramik Trade Union Kendra President Edris Ali told The Daily Star last night.

Garment workers went unruly as the EPZ authorities kept the factories open on Friday even after the tripartite meeting on May 24, he said.

Meanwhile, a platform of 16 garment workers organisations yesterday announced a 72-hour ultimatum for implementation of the unanimous decisions of the May 24 meeting.

President of the platform Tauhidur Rahman said they will go for countrywide indefinite strike at the garment factories from June 13 if the decisions of the May 24 meeting are not implemented within 72 hours.