49pc RMG units engage workers for extra hrs without DIFE nod

About 49 per cent of the apparel factories are engaged in operation without taking prior permission from the authorities concerned for the extra hours put in by their workers, according to a report.
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) prepared the report based on its survey which it had conducted on a total of 317 ready-made garment (RMG) units during the January-March period of 2014.
Out of the surveyed units, 206 are members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), and 32 are members of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), while the remaining 79 are not affiliated with any of the two associations, the report has revealed.
Under the existing rules, a factory authority requires taking approval from the DIFE as to how long it will engage its workers in production beyond their normal working hours, according to the DIFE officials.
As per law, eight hours are regular working hours for garment hands, while two hours of overtime are normally permissible, they say adding a factory owner could increase the overtime hours, if necessary, upon prior permission from the DIFE.
"About 162 surveyed factories have taken approval from DIFE on the working hours, while the remaining 49 per cent haven't," the report said.
However, 91 per cent of the surveyed factories pay wages regularly, while 87 per cent of them follow the government-declared wage structure, according to the report. Overtime allowance is regularly paid at 84 per cent of the factories.
The report also revealed that 21 per cent, out of the 317 factories, did not issue appointment letters and identity cards with photographs to the workers. Nearly 74 per cent units maintained service books.
But 300 out of the surveyed factories maintained register and attendance cards, according to the report.
However, BGMEA vice president Md Shahidullah Azim differed with the DIFE figure on appointment letters, saying according to his association's monitoring report, until April last about 87 per cent factories had provided appointment letters.
Thirty-one per cent of the factories did not provide maternity leave and allowance, and the trend was higher-61 per cent-among the factories that were not members of either BGMEA or BKMEA.
Some 158 factories allowed participation committees, while only 48 factories allowed trade unions, according to the report.
Only 71 per cent factories had private safety equipment arrangement, while the BGMEA leader has claimed that it is the workers who do not use the safety equipment like masks and gloves.
When contacted, DIFE Inspector General Syed Ahmed agreed that they could not make follow-up on their inspection up to the requirements due to a manpower shortage.
"But we are working to increase our manpower to strengthen monitoring and ensure corrective measures in the errant units," he said.