In a memorandum to the chief inspector of factories during the siege, the labour leaders said the government must identify the deaths as a result of negligence.

They said the factory was set up in a building constructed without proper approval and with faulty engineering.

The siege was organised by Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Jote, Bangladesh Jatiya Garment Sramik Jote and Jatiya Nari Sramik Jote.

"The owners will have to compensate each of the affected families with Tk 7 lakh as per the Fatal Accident Act of 1955," said Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Jote President Shirin Akhtar.

"The factory owner must take the corporate liability in the accident," she added.

Shirin said persisting indifference and apathy on the part of the factory owners and government agencies have led to recurrent occurrence of such tragedies at garment factories in recent times.

While expressing his solidarity with the workers, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal General Secretary Syed Jafar Sajjad said, "Both the industries minister and the chief factory inspector should resign taking responsibility of the tragedy."

The connivance of factory owner with the corrupt elements at the Rajuk, cantonment board, labour department, environment department and fire service and civil defence department made it possible to construct the factory building with faulty engineering, said the labour leaders in the memorandum.

They demanded of the government to declare national mourning for the tragedy, enforce labour laws at every factory, identify all the risky factory buildings and publish a full list of the dead, wounded and missing in the Spectrum tragedy as per the attendance card.

Labour leaders Meer Hossain, Al Azam Khan, Ashraful Haque, Saiful Islam, Anjuman Ara, Delwar Hossain, Shahin Akhtar and Mahbubr Rahman were present during the siege.

At least 75 people have so far been reported dead with 84 wounded and more than hundred missing in the collapse of a nine-storey factory building at Palashbari in the early hours of April 11.