Force the culprit contractor to pay what DNCC workers genuinely deserve

It is very depressing to note that the poor workers are being deprived of their wages by the contractor that employed them for the Dhaka North City Corporations (DNCC) mosquito controlling programme.

The DNCC appointed these workers due to its own manpower shortage, but reportedly one contractor, named Farid Ahmed, took away part of the wages of 540 workers amounting to Tk 4 crore per year.

On enquiry, the DNCC authority sources said there were only 320 manpower including 270 permanent workers in 54 wards of the northern part of Dhaka City.

As it was impossible to carry out the mosquito control programme in all the wards with this manpower, the authority hired another 576 workers through contractors. The 540 workers employed by M/s Multi International, the company owned by contractor Farid Ahmed — who is also an Awami League leader — paid only Tk 10,000 per month when they were supposed to get Tk. 17,610 per month each.

It has been alleged that DNCC officials are also getting their share of this cheated money.

The workers complained that the contract signed with the DNCC in 2021 for their appointment does not mention the service commission for the contractor.

Taking this opportunity, part of their wage is being taken away.

The contract service of the workers was renewed for one year on 12 December, 2022.

However, compared to M/s Multi International, the workers belonging to another company, Jamuna Star, are getting the monthly wage of Tk 17,610.

But there is a complaint that Jamuna Star does not pay wages to workers regularly.

It has appeared that the DNCC is giving 5 per cent service commission, 15 per cent VAT and 2 per cent income tax set by the government for the contractor.

However, the contract with Multi International does not mention this service commission, VAT and income tax of this contractor.

In protest of the injustice, workers in some wards maintained work abstention also.

This kind of cheating by the contractors in collusion with the relevant government officials is nothing new in this country.

What will be a welcome new development is if the persons responsible in this cheating are punished, loopholes in the contract are eliminated and workers are paid all the dues that they deserve.

The poor people must get the money they earn by their hard work.