The lunch menu - rice with vegetables and lentils with fish, meat or eggs - is the same for everyone from the cleaner to the CEO. And there is no compromise on quality of the food either.

 

The workers of this Dhamrai factory, about an hour’s car ride from Dhaka, start queuing up for lunch at noon. The hour-long lunch break seems longer with a bit of time to spare afterwards since everyone eats at the canteen.

 

Snowtex managing director, S.M. Khaled, says, “We feel it is our duty to ensure a healthy life for our workers. That’s why we came up with the plan to provide quality lunch. If they eat healthy, they stay fit, which serves both the workers and the company.”

 

The workers at the factory are very happy with this initiative and expressed their joy for having quality food at the workplace, and that too for free.

 

The factory has its own lab and a dedicated team to test the food every day.

 

Asked how the company manages despite spending so much on workers, S.M. Khaled said, “We are committed to a safe and healthy work environment. We abide by all the labour law provisions.”

 

He indicates it is ‘good business’ to spend on workers because the factory makes up on the better returns in the form of ‘higher productivity’. He said the factory might even offer a portion of its profits this year.

 

“We must not forget that besides everyone’s love and good wishes, it’s the workers who have brought us where we are today.”