Businessmen to sell essentials to workers at wholesale rates
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
M Azizur Rahman
Businessmen engaged with the country's leading export earning sectors, in their first ever drive, will provide essentials at wholesale rates to their employees during the upcoming Ramadan to facilitate the government's initiative of keeping prices of essentials within the reach of common people.
This was decided Monday in a meeting of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) with the leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).
"The businessmen will open outlets at their individual factory premises to provide mainly rice, pulse, gram and potato and in some cases edible oil to their workers," FBCCI president Mir Nasir Hossain told the FE.
The businessmen will either purchase these essentials from the wholesale markets or from the BDR's stocks.
Over 3.0 million workers and their families across the country are expected to largely benefit from the initiatives of the businessmen.
"Different sectors including readymade garment (RMG), knitwear, textile and ceramics will provide these essentials under 'no loss no profit' basis to relieve their workers from the brunt of price hike in Ramadan," the FBCCI president added.
The businessmen will bear the costs of service charges like transportation costs and management costs, he added.
Director General (DG) of the BDR Shakil Ahmed last week urged businessmen to open at least 50 outlets across the country during Ramadan
"But the outlets to be opened by the businessmen will be much higher than the requested number," Mir Nasir added.
The businessmen will open these outlets between September 10-14 next from where they will supply the essentials to their workers once a week.
A Coordination Cell has already been constituted with the FBCCI director Abdur Razzaq as the chief to facilitate selling of the essentials to the workers at wholesale rates.
"The BGMEA will open majority of its outlets in Chittagong where most of the country's RMG industries are located," the BGMEA president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez) told the FE Sunday.
He said the RMG industry owners will open a number of outlets in the capital too.
Supporting the drive Parvez said it will not only help the workers to buy essentials at affordable prices, but will, at the same time, ease pressure on the government.
If it turns out to be successful the businessmen can utilise this experience during the country's crisis period in future, he said.
"We will open a good number of outlets especially in Narayanganj, which is considered the home of the knitwear factories," BKMEA president Fazlul Haq told the FE.
It will certainly enhance workers' satisfaction, he hoped.
Agreeing with the drive Prime Group chairman MA Awal said that he would provide the essentials to his workers at the wholesale rate to ease their 'extra' pressure especially during Ramadan.
Awal, also the chairman of the FBCCI Standing Committee on textile and backward linkage industry, said this might help reduce the prices of essentials during Ramadan.
FBCCI sources said the number of outlets to be opened by the businessmen might be between 200-300 across the country.
Businessmen engaged with the country's leading export earning sectors, in their first ever drive, will provide essentials at wholesale rates to their employees during the upcoming Ramadan to facilitate the government's initiative of keeping prices of essentials within the reach of common people.
This was decided Monday in a meeting of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) with the leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).
"The businessmen will open outlets at their individual factory premises to provide mainly rice, pulse, gram and potato and in some cases edible oil to their workers," FBCCI president Mir Nasir Hossain told the FE.
The businessmen will either purchase these essentials from the wholesale markets or from the BDR's stocks.
Over 3.0 million workers and their families across the country are expected to largely benefit from the initiatives of the businessmen.
"Different sectors including readymade garment (RMG), knitwear, textile and ceramics will provide these essentials under 'no loss no profit' basis to relieve their workers from the brunt of price hike in Ramadan," the FBCCI president added.
The businessmen will bear the costs of service charges like transportation costs and management costs, he added.
Director General (DG) of the BDR Shakil Ahmed last week urged businessmen to open at least 50 outlets across the country during Ramadan
"But the outlets to be opened by the businessmen will be much higher than the requested number," Mir Nasir added.
The businessmen will open these outlets between September 10-14 next from where they will supply the essentials to their workers once a week.
A Coordination Cell has already been constituted with the FBCCI director Abdur Razzaq as the chief to facilitate selling of the essentials to the workers at wholesale rates.
"The BGMEA will open majority of its outlets in Chittagong where most of the country's RMG industries are located," the BGMEA president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez) told the FE Sunday.
He said the RMG industry owners will open a number of outlets in the capital too.
Supporting the drive Parvez said it will not only help the workers to buy essentials at affordable prices, but will, at the same time, ease pressure on the government.
If it turns out to be successful the businessmen can utilise this experience during the country's crisis period in future, he said.
"We will open a good number of outlets especially in Narayanganj, which is considered the home of the knitwear factories," BKMEA president Fazlul Haq told the FE.
It will certainly enhance workers' satisfaction, he hoped.
Agreeing with the drive Prime Group chairman MA Awal said that he would provide the essentials to his workers at the wholesale rate to ease their 'extra' pressure especially during Ramadan.
Awal, also the chairman of the FBCCI Standing Committee on textile and backward linkage industry, said this might help reduce the prices of essentials during Ramadan.
FBCCI sources said the number of outlets to be opened by the businessmen might be between 200-300 across the country.