The IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC) urged the government on Tuesday to reinstate the garment workers who were fired from their jobs in the aftermath of the recent labour unrest over wage hike.
The trade union group also called for withdrawal of false cases against the workers and release of arrested workers.
The IBC alleged that the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) workers' database is being misused as the names and pictures of terminated workers have been posted on the relevant website, thereby creating barriers to their getting new jobs.
Workers are now being harassed through raising the hourly production target after the new wage structure came into effect, it said and demanded measures to stop such harassment.
The IBC submitted a memorandum with the demands to State Minister for Labour Munnujan Sufian at her secretariat office in the city.
"Despite the assurance that no innocent workers would be harassed after the recent labour unrest, what we see is that garment factory owners are engaged in mass firing and filing cases against workers once they overcame the unrest crisis," the IBC said in the memorandum.
A total of 34 cases have been filed against about 5000 workers with Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur police stations till date, and about 100 garment workers have been arrested, it added.
"A record number of about 12,000 workers from 107 garment factories have been dismissed and fired from jobs in different ways," the IBC alleged.
Workers who are or were involved in unionism or raised their voice in realising labour rights previously are being targeted, it added.
Citing the names of two garment factories-East West Group and Abanti Colour Tex Ltd.-the IBC said they fired about 2500 workers while Gariba and Garib Company Ltd. fired some 300 workers on February 26 without paying arrears for two months.
Condemning the misuse of BGMEA workers' database against workers in reemployment, the IBC said it would not accept such practice.
Factories are not employing workers as they are blacklisted by different units through publishing the list of terminated or dismissed workers in related website with pictures, the rights group said.
The IBC also alleged that the government is playing a role of 'silent viewer' of such repression of workers.
The IBC said it would raise these issues at international forums if the government failed to take effective measures to stop such repressions.
The organisation will hold a gathering of workers in Chattogram on March 22 to realise their demands.
Such demonstrations will also be held gradually in different industrial zones, including Narayanganj, Gazipur, Savar and Ashulia.
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