Zero tolerance, if internal issues passed abroad: BGMEA

CHITTAGONG, July 11: BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said they are not against the garments workers' trade unions, but would not tolerate if the internal matters of the RMG factories are secretly passed outside the country.
"The leaders of RMG workers cannot pass any secret information abroad without the knowledge of the authorities concerned or law-enforcement agencies in this sovereign state. We will never tolerate such anti-state activities," he warned.
Mr Islam was speaking as the chief guest at the annual iftar and doa mahfil of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Chittagong region in the port-city Thursday.
"We cannot understand how the information of any incident goes to the foreigners while we are not informed of the same. BGMEA has also undertaken the principle of showing zero tolerance to repression of the workers in the garment factories," he said.
He alleged that a section of garment workers are engaged in leaking out internal information of the factories to the foreigners. To check the incidents BGMEA will work together with all quarters concerned, including the non-government organisations (NGOs) and embassies in the country, he stated.
"We are passing through hard times. Every entrepreneur in the sector is suffering. Buyers are giving low price against orders, while the entrepreneurs are facing high bank interest and various infrastructure-related problems, which have raised our cost of business."
The BGMEA president further said: "The government has extended support to the industry. But we want more financial support from the government. If we work together, the country's garment industry will be developed further."
He expressed concern that some RMG units, housed in shared buildings, are not getting orders from buyers, and said it is not expected after inspection of the factories by the Accord and the Alliance.
He urged the Chittagong-based garment entrepreneurs to give a list of such factories and let BGMEA know which units are facing the problems.   
The function was also addressed by first vice president of BGMEA Chittagong region Nasiruddin Ahmed Chowdhury and other leaders of the association.