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However, he said he had been compelled to step in due to the urgency of the situation.

He also said that steps were being taken to issue a “red alert” for factory owners facing arrest warrants who had left the country.

Besides, some owners have been ordered not to leave town, he said.

“Workers’ wages must be paid, even if it requires [owners] to sell their properties or cars,” he said.

Sakhawat said that those unable to pay their workers should no longer continue business in the garment sector.

“There are good employers in this industry, which continues to grow thanks to rising exports,” he said. “On the other hand, a few individuals joined the readymade garment business just to bide their time or make a name for themselves.”

While expressing sympathy for the workers, he urged them not to “unnecessarily waste their time” by sitting around his office.

Earlier on March 25, the government imposed a travel ban on 12 factory owners who had failed to pay wages and bonuses.

At the time, Sakhawat said the ban would be lifted if the dues were cleared by March 27.