Government and local entrepreneurs should provide health care and nutritious food for garment workers to help local industry grow at a faster pace in the wake of high inflationary pressure, speakers said at a discussion meeting Tuesday.
Industrialists, labour leaders, politicians and government officials were addressing at a discussion meeting on Bangladesh Ready-made Garment Industry: Market Access and its future Sustainability, organised by the Karmojibi Nari, a non government organisation, at the National Press Club Tuesday.
Addressing the programme, Jatiyo Party leader GM Quader said the government along with entrepreneurs should come forward to ensure nutritious food, health-care services, housing and other basic needs for the RMG workers.
"If entrepreneurs give 25 per cent, the government should give 75 per cent for the welfare of the workers as they have been contributing to the RMG sector that accounted for 76 per cent of the foreign exchange earning," he added.
FBCCI adviser Manjur Ahmed said if the government gives cash incentive to the exporters then it should take care of workers health and their other basis needs.
Speakers also said prices of garment products should be enhanced further to ensure better living wages for the workers.
Addressing the meeting, vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) MA Baset said owners of factories desires to give increased wages to the workers, but they cannot afford it due to poor cutting and making cost (CM) given by the buyers.
"We are really aware of the low wages being offered to the workers, but how will we do it when we are working at low prices," he added.
However, he said BKMEA has finalised a minimum prices for some basic knit products and it will come into force shortly.
"We will raise at least 10 per cent of our products and we must raise the wages after implementation of minimum baseline prices set for knit products," he added.
Sharifa Khan, an official of the WTO Cell of the government said that political commitment is urgently needed for market access to the US market.
Speakers, however, at the meeting stressed the need for branding local garment products, raising the negotiating capacity by the garment owners, diversification of products, conducting market promotional activities and other steps for the sustainable growth of the garment sector.
They also said government and owners of apparel factories should adopt new payment method like factoring, for the sustainable growth of the garment sector.
Factoring is a new method which is now being widely practiced in the developed nations while Bangladesh largely depends on the traditional letter of credits (L/Cs).
Trade union leaders, however, stressed the need for trade union practices, increase in the wages and building a better industrial relations.
Aminul Hoque Amin, a garment leader, said the workers have been working at very low wages and their productivity has been shrinking day by day.
"How will the garment sector sustain when the wages very low,? he asked.
Addressing the programme, another garment leader Nazma Akter said the workers urgently need heath support as uses of different chemicals in the industries are hazaradous for their health.
Shirin Akter, Kamajibi Nari president was moderator at the programme.
Awami League leader Col Faruk Khan, executive president of CSFD Mahfuzn Ullah Khan and others also spoke at the function.
