Finance Ministry turns down proposal on industrial police unit: RMG sector may face massive labour unrest shortly

Country’s Readymade Garment (RMG) sector may face labour unrest during the month of Ramzan over the workers’ demands including payment of festival bonus and arrears, industry owners apprehends.
They alleged that instead of minimising labour unrest some members of the present parliament and also Ministers are fuelling the illogical anger of the workers pushing the industry towards a high risk.
Besides, the ministry of finance last week has turned down a proposal of home ministry regarding formation of industrial police unit considering the increase in the government expenditure, which also raised helplessness among the RMG factory owners.
Apex apparel body Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) leaders said there is no clear directives from the government regarding readymade garment sector. Besides, different ministers of the government are instigating workers towards unrest giving different types of statement in different occasions.
Stakeholders said workers are taking preparation for agitation raising several demands including increase of payments of overtime, double bonus and demanding immediate payment of arrears. Meantime, stray incidents took place in at least 25 factories in Ashulia, Savar, Gazipur and other areas.
Factory owners apprehend that the unrest may take serious turn within next 10 to 15 days, which several detective agencies have already reported to the government.
Workers of Alana Group in Mirpur staged demonstration last Saturday demanding advance festival bonus. Factory owners say there was no salary overdue in the garment but the workers are trying to create unrest backed by vested quarters.
Workers of Envoy Group also began agitation last week raising different demands resulting in suspension of production in four factories.
BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy yesterday told The New Nation that it would become very tough to handle the possible labour unrest for what the workers are getting prepared.
“Workers are demanding double bonus ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. They are raising some demands, which are not mentioned in the labour laws,” he said.
He said the ongoing global recession, lack of gas and power supply in the factories and attack on garment factories centring garment wastage (jhut) business has already created concern among the factory owners. But the government is yet to take any effective step to face the situation.
According to the BGMEA statistics workers staged demonstration in at least 179 garment factories across the country since January this year. The situation is turning worse gradually.
Labour leaders said workers are agitating for realisation of their just demands. They said workers are demanding full trade union rights and implementation of tripartite agreement of 2006.
Labour leader Nazma Akter said workers in Bangladesh are the lowest paid in the world. She demanded immediate declaration of minimum wages considering the present trend of commodity price.

Courtesy of The New Nation