Violence in RMG sector
Friday, 15 August 2008
THE readymade garment sector is, again, in trouble. A large number of garment factories in Ashulia were attacked the other day by agitating workers, demanding payment of their arrear wages. This is really regrettable. It has become a routine affairs with both sides: the owners of some garment factories default in payment to their workers while the workers resort to violence damaging their own workplaces.
The most serious thing is that with one or two defaulting factories, some good ones have also become victims of circumstances. The BGMEA president said the factories which were attacked were not defaulters, and were practising good corporate culture.
The RMG workers are usually very low-paid. If their payments are delayed, we can assume what difficulties they have to face. Their meager wages should be paid on time. However, the workers also should not resort to destruction of valuable property impulsively without giving any opportunity for negotiations. If outsiders are involved, as the BGMEA leaders have been alleging, in destroying property, we do not understand what the smart law enforcers are doing.
The RMG is the flagship export sector of the country. Disruption to operations in this sector affects our export earnings. This, in turn, affects other businesses. We think all the stakeholders, including the government, should go in-depth into the problem to find out a sustainable solution. Something must be done to quell the violence, to make the workers reasonably happy and prevent the outsiders to exploit the opportunity to destroy this vital industry.
Ahmed Reza
Dhanmandi
Dhaka
The most serious thing is that with one or two defaulting factories, some good ones have also become victims of circumstances. The BGMEA president said the factories which were attacked were not defaulters, and were practising good corporate culture.
The RMG workers are usually very low-paid. If their payments are delayed, we can assume what difficulties they have to face. Their meager wages should be paid on time. However, the workers also should not resort to destruction of valuable property impulsively without giving any opportunity for negotiations. If outsiders are involved, as the BGMEA leaders have been alleging, in destroying property, we do not understand what the smart law enforcers are doing.
The RMG is the flagship export sector of the country. Disruption to operations in this sector affects our export earnings. This, in turn, affects other businesses. We think all the stakeholders, including the government, should go in-depth into the problem to find out a sustainable solution. Something must be done to quell the violence, to make the workers reasonably happy and prevent the outsiders to exploit the opportunity to destroy this vital industry.
Ahmed Reza
Dhanmandi
Dhaka