Staff Correspondent
Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon on Wednesday said promulgating three ordinances relating to garments industry and workers by the immediate past caretaker government, the rights of around 25 lakh garments workers was smashed illegally.
He said this at a discussion meeting organized by an apex body of 21 different garments workers federation at Shaheed Asad auditorium in the capital yesterday.
“The immediate past caretaker government promulgated three controversial ordinances which had gone against the rights of garments workers. After introducing these ordinances, worker unrests were taking place in and around the capital. The workers of different garment industries were becoming victim of harassment in many ways by the unkind repression and oppression of garments owners. Now the government is going to restore the rights of garment workers as it is a potential sector for country’s economic development,” Rashed Khan Menon also a parliament member said.
Amirul Haque Amin General Secretary of National Garments Workers Federation said during the tenure of the past caretaker government, the law enforcing agencies had launched a massive drive against garment workers when they had raised voices in favour of their legitimate demands. Not only that but also the government had introduced three ordinances imposing restriction of all kinds on demonstrations or rallies in favour of worker rights.
He said as per Bangladesh labour code ordinance amendment 2008, the garment workers will be punished with jail and penalty if they violate labour law during duty hours but owners will be punished only financially if they fail to ensure worker rights. “So theses controversial ordinances must be canceled. Otherwise, worker unrest will be intensified further at around 4500 different factories in the capital as well as adjacent industrial areas including Gazipur, Savar and Narayangaonj,” he cautioned.
Mamataj Uddin office secretary of Bangladesh labour federation said the government admits that country’s garment industry is one of the important sectors which can boost country’s economic development but the government does not take any steps to increase the wages of garment workers despite the skyrocketing price hike of daily commodities. “The wage of the garment workers will have to be increased immediately to lessen the suffering of the large numbers of garment workers. Otherwise the garments industry will face several types of difficulties including worker unrest,” he said.
Courtesy of www.thebangladeshtoday.com
