Avoid arbitrary terminations

The government Monday asked readymade garment (RMG) owners to avoid arbitrary termination of their workers to ensure positive working environment in the country's apparel sector.
The readymade garment (RMG) owners were also advised to be more sympathetic about the workers for the sake of better worker-owner relations,
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said this while speaking at a views exchange meeting with 19 factory owners at the ministry on the day.
The Commerce Minister sat with the RMG owners, especially those 19 factory owners against whom there are allegations that they are not allowing trade unions in their factories or creating hindrances in trade union activities.
Mr Ahmed said garment factory owners should be more sympathetic to all their workers and should not terminate them on simple pretexts.      
"We have addressed most of the issues to get back the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility, except four issues. The four issues are: trade union related problems with 19 factories, trade union activities at Export Processing Zone (EPZ), appointment of 200 inspectors and establishment of database that would complete shortly," he said.
"We will inform the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) about this meeting with 19 RMG factories' trade union related problems. The progress of the meeting would be made available by the three secretaries concerned, five ambassadors/high commissioners and I myself," Tofail Ahmed said.   
Around 4.4 million workers are involved in the RMG sector. Of them about 80 per cent are female workers. Owners of RMG should not terminate workers on a silly pretext, the minister said.
The minister said the present RMG situation is business friendly and quiet, better than at any previous time, which should be continued with caring and sharing of the owners and workers. The RMG sector has been able to draw the attention of the international community, he said.
"Bangladesh is the second largest country after China in RMG goods export," Mr Ahmed stated, adding that the export volume would be US$3.5 billion.
Tofail Ahmed hoped that the USA would allow duty-fee quota-free market access within two year following the World Trade Organisation's 9th conference decision held in Bali.
"We want to move forward through good relations between the workers and owners," Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Atiqul Islam and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) president Selim Osman said at the meeting.
BGMEA and BKMEA representatives said buyers from different countries were not interested to increase even one cent, but factory owners enhanced salary.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed, labour and employment secretary Mikail Shipar, 19 RMG factory representatives, were also present during the meeting.