STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The government will sell shares of Beximco Group’s two running companies to pay the salaries of 13 laid-off companies owned by the conglomerate.

If the proceeds from the sale of shares of the two profitable companies -- Beximco Pharmaceuticals and Shinepukur Ceramics -- do not cover the salaries of the workers, the government will take steps in line with labour law.

The amount needed to pay the salaries could be between Tk 500 crore and Tk 550 crore, Labour and Employment Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain told a press briefing yesterday.

He held the briefing after a meeting with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Labour Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman, Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek, and senior officials of the securities and exchange commission, banks and financial institutions.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Institutions Division (FID) will take steps to sell the shares. On February 2, officials of the two organisations and several banks concerned will meet to discuss the sale of the two companies.

Factories of the conglomerate that have been closed will be shuttered for good, he said.

The disclosure comes at a time when workers of The

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