46 enterprises get Nat’l Export Trophy
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the RMG factory owners to consider what the labour leaders want that will stop the ongoing anarchy in the sector.
‘Some labour leaders are fuelling the agitation from behind. I will request you (RMG owners) to consider what the labour leaders want to make them happy,’ she said at a function, marking the distribution of the National Export Trophy 2010-2011, in the Osmani Memorial Hall Auditorium in the city on Wednesday.
Hasina said: ‘I can’t say whether the pockets of labour leaders are getting heavier, but this is certain that the workers are being subjected to losses.’
She requested the agitating RMG workers to go back to their work leaving the streets and agitations as at present all RMG factories were very busy with orders for the upcoming Christmas season.
The prime minister said the orders will be cancelled if these are not fulfilled in time. In such an event, many factories will be shut down and the workers will have to go back to their home with empty hand.
Mentioning the present government’s initiatives to increase the wages of the RMG workers, she said the wages have been increased twice in the last four years. ‘When we took office in 1909, I saw that the minimum wage for the RMG workers was Tk 1,600 only. We took the initiative to increase it to Tk 3,000 in 2010.’
In this regard, Hasina said that initially, the RMG owners were not ready to accept the wage hike and she compelled them to do
so. ‘I worked as the bargaining agent for the workers. The owners agreed to pay but in lieu they took several facilities from the government.’
‘This time,’ she said, ‘again I persuaded the RMG owners to accept the minimum wage of Tk 5,300 as per Wage Commission award.’
Expressing her annoyance over the ongoing ‘unnecessary agitation’ by the RMG workers, the PM said there was no justification for such agitation programme right now. ‘Some labour leaders are inciting the workers to go for agitation and create anarchic situation in the factory areas.’
Stressing the need for forging cordial relations between the owners and the workers, she asked the owners to introduce counselling for the workers that would bring a good result for all.
Hasina said various strategies including adoption of trade liberalisation policy and formulation of five-year import-export policy were undertaken to increase the country’s export volume as well as to expand trade and business.
‘Export trade is very important for a populous country like Bangladesh for rapid development. Increasing export of traditional and non-traditional items will create more employment opportunities while the foreign exchange earned through export could be used for infrastructure development.’
Referring to the initiatives taken by the present government for the promotion of export, she said the country’s average export growth increased at the rate of 16 per cent in the last four years despite global economic recession.
Hasina mentioned that the government implemented two incentive packages to face the adverse impact of global economic meltdown and provided Tk 3,542 crore in 17 export sectors including in shrimps, textiles, leather and jute goods.
With the united efforts of all export earnings of the country rose to $27.03 billion from $15.57 billion, she said.
The prime minister said that to encourage the small and cottage industry and the rural raw material based goods, the government encouraged export of agar wood, atar, rubber and earthen tiles under ‘one district one product’ programme.
Commerce minister GM Qader, commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed and FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed also spoke at the function while Export Promotion Bureau vice-chairman Shubhashish Bose gave the welcome address.
Later, the prime minister distributed the National Export Trophy for 2010-11 among 46 enterprises in recognition of their contributions to the country’s export trade.
Of the trophies, 20 enterprises got gold medals, 15 got silver and 11 got bronze while another gold trophy was given to the highest export earner.
-With New Age input
