Worker leaders welcome the move, owners concerned
The government is going to set up a hotline soon for factory workers so that they can inform it any concern about possible fire, building safety and worker rights.
The government says it has taken the initiative as per the requirement set by the international buyers but factory owners have expressed concern over the way of usage of the hotline.
Factory owners mainly garment sector leaders fear that the hotline might be misused in the way of false reporting and thus business may be hampered.
Recently they conveyed their concerns to the government over the hotline and demanded legal protection for the factories which would be innocent victims of any false reporting.
Worker leaders, however, welcomed the initiative to set up the hotline as such facility would help workers to communicate with the government directly to convey any anomalies and repression.
To set up a hotline for workers was a requirement set by the global buyers and also a commitment of the Bangladesh government which was made after Rana Plaza building collapse at Savar that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers. It was also a precondition of the United States Trade Representative for reviving the Generalised System of Preferences facility for Bangladeshi products on the US market.
‘The initiative of launching a hotline has been progressed and we have already sent a letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission asking two numbers for the hotline,’ labour secretary Mikail Shipar told New Age on Saturday.
He said that the garment workers would be able to send their massage to the government directly and would get the opportunity to report any possibility of fire, building safety issues and worker rights violations in their respective factories.
Shipar said that the garment sector leaders in a meeting with the buyers expressed their fear that the hotline might be misused through making false reporting but they did not submit any official dispute to the government.
‘I think anyone can make a false report to the government through hotline but no factory will be victimised as factory inspectors will visit the spot instantly and will scrutiny the authenticity of the report,’ the labour secretary said.
Citing the Rana Plaza disaster, Shipar said if there were a hotline, workers would have informed the government about the crack that developed in the building before collapse.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Atiqul Islam said, ‘We are not against the concept of hotline but the government has to ensure preventive measure of its possible misuses.’
In last week, the garment sector leaders informed the government about their concerns over the hotline and sought assurance that it (hotline) would not be misused against the factories, he said.
Combined Garment Workers Federation president Nazma Akter said the concern raised by the factory owners over the hotline was not acceptable as it was important to establish a direct communication system between the government and the workers for a sustainable industry.
‘Not only for meeting up the condition to avail the GSP facilities, a hotline for workers should be set up to ensure workplace safety and to protect worker rights in the factories,’ she said.
-With New Age input
