Garment union leaders blast govt for creating industrial police
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Jubair Hasan
Garment union leaders Wednesday blasted the government for creating industrial police to keep order in the factory zones, saying the specialised force could be used as a workers-repressing tool by the owners.
They feared that the 1580-men police unit could be used against the apparel workers in suppressing their legitimate demands and movements at the instructions of the owners who were demanding such policing for years.
Their apprehension comes following some recent comments by garment owners that implementation of the new pay scale for the industry's three million workers will be very tough and challenging.
The authorities last July increased by around 80 per cent the minimum monthly wage for the sector's three million workers after ordering the owners to implement the pay-hike from November 1 at each of the country's 4,700 plus garment factories.
"The police force can be used as a worker-repressing tool for the owners," Amirul Haque Amin, president of National Garment Workers' Federation, said adding that the force might also hamper healthy industrial relationship in the sector by creating panic among the workers.
He said the government's move has come at the time when workers are being confused by such types of comments of the owners, which also might force them towards movement.
Dozens of unions are also closely observing the activities of the police force and warned of launching massive movement across the country if it was used against the apparel workers when they were preparing to receive the declared amount, union leaders said.
"Industrial police is formed only to take away the rights of workers as history says the concept of special force comes only to hold back a particular community," Mushrefa Mishu, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Oikya (Unity) Forum, said.
She feared that the owners might create a plot against the poor workers by using the new policing system. "We love the industry. We just want every right of the workers to be ensured by owners. That's all," she said, adding that they would not accept any attempts against workers.
Delwar Hossain, general secretary of Jatiya Garment Sramik Kormochari Federation, said they expected that the government would take measures for congenial trade union activities in the sector as this would be able to cut the differences between workers and owners.
"The police force will create further gap between them as it has already created panic among the workers. It's not a positive sign for the sector," he said.
The leaders urged the government to immediately introduce trade unionism in the apparel industry which accounted for 80 per cent of the total export earnings by employing nearly three million people most of them are women.
But the owners have tried to remove such fears of the union leaders, saying members of the industrial police force will be posted in the industrial areas not only to protect their units but also to ensure the workers' safety.
"We've already instructed owners for cent per cent implementation of the new pay-scale in all their factories," said a senior official of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday inaugurated functioning of the country's first ever specialised police unit. A total of 1580 members of the newly introduced force will be deployed in the four apparel hubs -- Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chittagong.
Garment union leaders Wednesday blasted the government for creating industrial police to keep order in the factory zones, saying the specialised force could be used as a workers-repressing tool by the owners.
They feared that the 1580-men police unit could be used against the apparel workers in suppressing their legitimate demands and movements at the instructions of the owners who were demanding such policing for years.
Their apprehension comes following some recent comments by garment owners that implementation of the new pay scale for the industry's three million workers will be very tough and challenging.
The authorities last July increased by around 80 per cent the minimum monthly wage for the sector's three million workers after ordering the owners to implement the pay-hike from November 1 at each of the country's 4,700 plus garment factories.
"The police force can be used as a worker-repressing tool for the owners," Amirul Haque Amin, president of National Garment Workers' Federation, said adding that the force might also hamper healthy industrial relationship in the sector by creating panic among the workers.
He said the government's move has come at the time when workers are being confused by such types of comments of the owners, which also might force them towards movement.
Dozens of unions are also closely observing the activities of the police force and warned of launching massive movement across the country if it was used against the apparel workers when they were preparing to receive the declared amount, union leaders said.
"Industrial police is formed only to take away the rights of workers as history says the concept of special force comes only to hold back a particular community," Mushrefa Mishu, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Oikya (Unity) Forum, said.
She feared that the owners might create a plot against the poor workers by using the new policing system. "We love the industry. We just want every right of the workers to be ensured by owners. That's all," she said, adding that they would not accept any attempts against workers.
Delwar Hossain, general secretary of Jatiya Garment Sramik Kormochari Federation, said they expected that the government would take measures for congenial trade union activities in the sector as this would be able to cut the differences between workers and owners.
"The police force will create further gap between them as it has already created panic among the workers. It's not a positive sign for the sector," he said.
The leaders urged the government to immediately introduce trade unionism in the apparel industry which accounted for 80 per cent of the total export earnings by employing nearly three million people most of them are women.
But the owners have tried to remove such fears of the union leaders, saying members of the industrial police force will be posted in the industrial areas not only to protect their units but also to ensure the workers' safety.
"We've already instructed owners for cent per cent implementation of the new pay-scale in all their factories," said a senior official of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday inaugurated functioning of the country's first ever specialised police unit. A total of 1580 members of the newly introduced force will be deployed in the four apparel hubs -- Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chittagong.