RMG sector unrest must be pacified
Monday, 13 December 2010
UNREST is again showing up on a worrying scale in the export-oriented readymade garments (RMG) sector. Several factories seemed to be gripped by workers' unrest in the Savar-Ashulia belt last week as workers in them agitated for implementation of their recently upgraded salaries, announced by a tripartite mechanism comprising workers, owners and representatives from the government. Similar workers' unrest leading to vandalizing of RMG industries were noted on a wider scale at several places last Sunday at Dhaka and Narayanganj. Six garments factories at Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) also suffered similar troubles the same day as more than 20 thousand workers resorted to demonstration and vandalism in support of their demand for higher wages in line with the wages declaration that was made by the tripartite committee. Meanwhile, a representative organization of garments workers claimed that 50-60 per cent of the industries are yet to make good their contracted pledge of paying higher wages to the workers and that the same is fanning discontent among the latter and pushing them towards agitation and violence.
The tripartite committee on wages had declared a new minimum wage as well as higher wages on the basis of skills and productivity of workers at different grades. Available reports do amply indicate that most of the troubles are due to non-payment of higher wages to senior workers in the upper grades. But the owners and management of the industries have a different story to tell. They are saying that they have dutifully met the greater part of their commitments made with the tripartite committee and the rest are in the process of being sincerely implemented. Thus, whatever may be the trigger for the fresh wave of unrest in the RMG sector, the same needs some kind of conciliation.
Only attempting to discipline the workers with police power will not do. The same could make the situation worse as understandably stressed and underpaid workers cannot be expected to behave calmly in the face of alleged continual violation of agreements with them. However, at the same time they must be kept pacified as the committee, which declared the wages, is revived to look into generally and, more importantly on a case by case basis, where the owners are defaulting on payment of their contracted wages. Each case will have to be sorted out at the fastest to keep the workers motivated and convinced that their dues would be settled quickly. The owners should be persuaded that they should make every effort to keep their commitments at the soonest in their greater short-, medium- and longer-term interests.
All stakeholders, but specially the owners and workers, must realize that the RMG sector in Bangladesh has been presented with a golden opportunity. This has largely come from higher costs of Chinese RMG products that have sharply increased from higher costs of production in that country. RMG importers are finding Bangladesh as an alternative to supplies from China and also from Vietnam and a number of other countries that have witnessed increases in wage-costs. From this factor alone, orders have been coming to Bangladesh in far greater number compared to the recent past. Thus, a boom time in RMG exports from Bangladesh is expected. For Bangladesh to make the most of this opportunity and win more market shares on a sustainable basis, the RMG sector here needs to be absolutely protected from all kinds of stresses but specially from any workers-related violence. Keeping in view this goal, the government should play the role of a catalyst and play its part promptly and effectively as an intermediary between the workers and the owners to keep the sector peaceful through settling wage disputes at the earliest.
The tripartite committee on wages had declared a new minimum wage as well as higher wages on the basis of skills and productivity of workers at different grades. Available reports do amply indicate that most of the troubles are due to non-payment of higher wages to senior workers in the upper grades. But the owners and management of the industries have a different story to tell. They are saying that they have dutifully met the greater part of their commitments made with the tripartite committee and the rest are in the process of being sincerely implemented. Thus, whatever may be the trigger for the fresh wave of unrest in the RMG sector, the same needs some kind of conciliation.
Only attempting to discipline the workers with police power will not do. The same could make the situation worse as understandably stressed and underpaid workers cannot be expected to behave calmly in the face of alleged continual violation of agreements with them. However, at the same time they must be kept pacified as the committee, which declared the wages, is revived to look into generally and, more importantly on a case by case basis, where the owners are defaulting on payment of their contracted wages. Each case will have to be sorted out at the fastest to keep the workers motivated and convinced that their dues would be settled quickly. The owners should be persuaded that they should make every effort to keep their commitments at the soonest in their greater short-, medium- and longer-term interests.
All stakeholders, but specially the owners and workers, must realize that the RMG sector in Bangladesh has been presented with a golden opportunity. This has largely come from higher costs of Chinese RMG products that have sharply increased from higher costs of production in that country. RMG importers are finding Bangladesh as an alternative to supplies from China and also from Vietnam and a number of other countries that have witnessed increases in wage-costs. From this factor alone, orders have been coming to Bangladesh in far greater number compared to the recent past. Thus, a boom time in RMG exports from Bangladesh is expected. For Bangladesh to make the most of this opportunity and win more market shares on a sustainable basis, the RMG sector here needs to be absolutely protected from all kinds of stresses but specially from any workers-related violence. Keeping in view this goal, the government should play the role of a catalyst and play its part promptly and effectively as an intermediary between the workers and the owners to keep the sector peaceful through settling wage disputes at the earliest.