Sweater, Knitwear Factory
Body on piece-rate workers’ problem moves very slow
The working committee formed on January 28 to identify the problems sweater and knitwear factory workers are facing has begun its operation after one month of its formation, frustrating the workers who work under piece-rate system. The committee was supposed to submit its report within one month of its formation. In the first week of January, the labour ministry formed a sub-committee headed by Md Faizur Rahman, joint secretary (labour), to look into the disputes of the sweater and knitwear factory workers with their owners over several issues.
The sub-committee formed the working committee to visit some sweater and knitwear factories and talk to workers and factory authorities to gather details of the issues under dispute.
With the aim of formulating a set of guidelines for the sector, the working committee was asked to submit its report within a month.
But the working committee headed by Moshiur Rahman, additional director general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, started its function on Wednesday, after 35 days of its formation and visited one knitwear factory in Narayanganj.
The government’s move (formation of the working committee) came following frequent demonstrations by the sweater factory workers and demand from labour leaders for guidelines for the workers under piece-rate system as they think that such workers are being deprived of benefits of legal service and the new wage structure for the garment workers as there (in the wage structure) is no clear indication of wage hike for piece-rate workers.
The sweater factory workers also demanded rise in their piece-rate payment, food and transport allowances in accordance with the newly-announced wage award for the garment workers.
‘We have started work and have already visited a factory. It was not easy to complete the task within a month,’ Moshiur Rahman told New Age last week.
He said that the committee would visit more sweater and knitwear factories and talk to the workers and factory authorities and it would need more time to identify the problems.
‘It was very tough to run the committee fast as people from different sectors have been included in the committee,’ Moshiur said.
Sirajul Islam Rony, president of National Garment Workers League and also a member of the working committee, said that they had visited a unit of Fakir knitwears Ltd in Narayanganj and talked to the workers and factory authorities.
‘We will visit more factories at Ashulia in Dhaka and in Gazipur next week.’
Workers think that sweater units in the country are more problematic as most of the factory owners announce rate of a sweater just before payment, Sirajul said.
To set a reasonable off-season wage for the workers working under the piece-rate system is one of the major demands, he added.
-With New Age input
