What ails the garments sector

Syed Fattahul AlimbrThe problems in the garment industry of the country appear to have started to fester. The occasional eruption of violence over rumours of confinement, torture or even death of workers at the hands of what the reports go to be the owners' hired goons have wreaked havoc on many garment manufacturing units of the country. Of late, the situation has come to a head. The sporadic incidents of violence in a number of garment factories in Gazipur in particular accompanied by widespread vandalism and ransacking on the factory premises have led to the closure of a number of factories. So far, no clear picture of the causes of the violent face-offs between the workers and the owners of the affected factories could be obtained. It is always the same old rumours and the wild behaviour of some people on the factory premises in the Gazipur industrial belt not far from the capital city. brThe pattern of the violence is too familiar. But no effective step by any quarter has so far been taken to stop these untoward developments in the garment sector. What is strange in each case of vandalism in the garment industries is that the reported incidents of violence invariably take place not over any genuine demands of pay raise or similar other issues related to workers' entitlements. Such grievances may well be behind these incidents, but the immediate causes of the incidents in the majority of the cases have no relation to such legitimate issues. So, one cannot also say that the madness in the grip of which the garment industry of the country has fallen victim to provides any indication of healthy development of trade unionism in the Readymade Garment (RMG) sector. brHowever, in the face of such insanity facing the garment industries of Gazipur, which is home to some 800 RMG units, the owners of 91 factories had in a body submitted a memorandum to their apex trade body the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA) in protest against the workers' violence in their factories. They even threatened indefinite strike from September 25 in case any incident of vandalism takes place in any of the garment units before that deadline. brTo all appearances, these garment factory owners have been at the end of their tether for long and have now been forced to take this decision of staging strike as a last resort to end the stalemate in the garment industries. brIn another development on the same day, the Bangladesh Combined Garment Workers' Federation (BCGWF) met the owners of the garment factories to press the workers demand for paying festival allowance and other dues of the workers by September 25.brStrangely though, the owners' deadline of going on strike in protest against vandalism on the premises and the timeline for paying festival allowances and other dues set by the workers' right body have coincidentally fallen on the same date. Have the two developments any causal connection or are they simply coincidental While briefing the press about their demands to the garment owners, the BCGWF leaders even complained that most factory owners did not pay the workers' festival bonus and that in some cases the owners did not even clear the full pay of the workers for the month.brBut if the labour leaders' claim has any truth in it, then it is a serious matter to be concerned about. For under any circumstances, the workers' cannot be denied their regular pay by the factory authorities. Moreover, it is a shame for any industry worth its name that fails to pay the regular salaries of its workers. So, the workers' violence in the Gazipur garments and conflicting claims of the factory owners and the labour leaders call for serious investigation into the issue for the sake of saving the industry as well as protecting the interests of both the owners and the workers.brThe violence in the in the garment sector has been going on for too long to be taken lightly by all quarters concerned. The movement for higher pay or facilities by the workers vis-à-vis the factory owners' resistance has been the normal rules of the game in the industry worldwide. And it is through mutual negotiation between the owners and the workers' representatives that such issues are traditionally resolved. But unfortunately, in the case of garment factories in Bangladesh, a gap has been created exactly at this point. In fact, there is practically no medium to communicate between the workers and the owners of the factories to resolve any dispute between the two sides. The result has been disastrous for both the workers and the factory owners in the garments sector. Now what has happened in the absence of a healthy trade union to hold negotiations between the workers and the factory management The vacuum has been filled up by wrong people on both the sides of the spectrum. Afraid to meet the workers, the management is depending too much on its crony staffs, who always portray the workers as a bunch of mindless crowd. In absence of any organised union to look after their interest, the workers are getting increasingly restive and behaving hysterically whenever there is any rumour about their colleagues being tortured by the musclemen of the management. In fact, whatever is happening on the premises of the garments factories of Gazipur cannot be wholly dismissed as untruth. That is because, the lack of an effective medium of communication has forced both the sides to react in a knee-jerk fashion. brBoth the sides must see the truth. Otherwise the 'ghost stories,' which thrive on mutual distrust and have been triggering the workers' violence in the garment factories will continue to go the rounds and proliferate. And the owners will continue to see outside quarters trying to destroy the RMG sector of the country with the help of agent provocateurs. brHowever, it is not being meant to say here that there are no vested quarters or agencies involved in these incidents. In fact, whenever there is trouble, vested quarters will always be found active to fish in the troubled waters. And what is being stressed here is that the vested interests engaged in disruptive activities, in most cases, are not the root cause of the subversive activities in question. On the contrary, they are the outcome of the disturbances caused by developments that have nothing having to do with the external factors. brThe first step the factory management must take is to talk with the workers. And it is in the best interests of the industry that both the employers and the employees should be on talking terms. Workers' union is the best medium to keep both the management and the employees engaged. As ill luck would have it, development of healthy trade unions did never get a far chance for development in the various industries of Bangladesh, let alone in the garments sector. Why healthy trade unionism could not grow in our industries is another story. To cut a long story short, from the very beginning, the trade unions of the country were controlled by parties or agents outside the industrial units. In fact, those were parasitic bodies acting as pressure groups within the industries concerned and serving the interest of certain political parties. It is this political trade unionism that marred the very spirit of healthy trade unions, which otherwise contribute to the productivity of the industries as well as look after the workers' interest. brNow time has come to give a new look at the problem. The recent developments in the garment factories of Gazipur should be an eye opener for all concerned. The government needs to provide necessary security to the garment factory owners so that they are not forced to close down their factories. The workers, on the other hand, have to be assured their monthly wages and other dues. But before that the first step would be to bring the two sides-the owners and the workers-at the talking table. brThe factory owners must help the workers so that they might elect or choose their representatives from within their own ranks. In future, all the problems arsing between the workers and management should be settled through negotiation between the two parties without the need for outside intervention. brFor now, the government should give a deeper look into the problems of the Gazipur garment factories and help settle the disputes between the employers and the workers in the best interests of the both the parties.