Sabotaging RMG sector in Bangladesh?

by Umme Mohsina Lotus
August 4, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/919/sabotaging-rmg-sector-in-bangladesh

Although, minimum wage for ready made garment factory workers has been nearly doubled by a government announcement, hundreds of agitated workers went on rampage, vandalised banks and shopping malls, damaged a number of vehicles, set fire on private cars and other vehicles and blocked roads until the police baton charged on them in Bangladesh.

For decades, readymade garment sector in Bangladesh has been struggling with insecurity, acute shortage of power and gas supply, corruption, vandalism and continuous sabotage. As a result, Bangladesh lost its place in world market though this sector was most potential for this country.

Recently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina remarked in the parliament that, 'the wage for readymade garment workers is not only insufficient but also inhumane'..."And now vested groups are taking advantages of this statement made by PM" –one of the buyers says... "Now they would be more desperate and reckless after this statement as media always depict us as their (workers) arch-enemies".

"I am not a factory owner, but my office could not escape from their rampage; my brother is injured but no way to reach to him, because road is also blocked by the agitated workers"—says this buyer.

"Garments owners are repeatedly asking for employing industrial police, even they are agreed to pay for it, but govt remains silent in this issue; no headache for safety and security of this most profitable sector for this country"...says this dejected buyer.

"There is no other country where RMG sector has to tackle such problems, even in Pakistan this sector is running smoothly without such major interruption."

"Every one can know about less wage for workers, and details of their problems as media is very active in this issue, but how the immense pressure of high production cost due to gas and power supply hampers our production, you wont know it as media remains silent here."

"You may not know that to run business in this sector we have pay in every steps, we have to meet the demand of corrupted political leaders of different level. Bribery is very common here.No media would make story of this silent exploitation."

"In India, government provides 8% annual bonus in this sector, where in China it is 14%. In Bangladesh there is no such provision to encourage this sector rather here it is victim of various utility crisis and political exploitation."

"Many investors has left Bangladesh saying there is no helpful environment to invest here; we are with a Spanish company which immediately declared closure for sin die after today's vandalism; may be their next decision would be 'No more in Bangladesh'..." says this aggrieved buyer who is a victim of vandalism which took place in Bangladesh on Friday, July 30, just after a day the new pay scale was announced by Bangladesh government.

The government fixed the new minimum wage at TK. 3,000 amid strong demand by the workers for Tk 5,000 per month. The wage structure shows that previous TK. 1.266.50 has been raised to TK. 3000. The maximum wage has been fixed at TK. 9,300 from previous TK. 5,140.

Labor and Employment minister Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain said "I hope the new wage structure will be acceptable to all" while he was announcing this pay scale in a press briefing. But different Organizations of garments workers rejected the new pay scale termed it as 'irrational' and alleged that the government formed the wage board excluding real persons who represent the garment workers.

The government on January 13 this year formed the Wage board headed by District and Session Judge Iftekhar Ahmed to recommend an acceptable minimum wage for the garments workers to appease the unrest in this sector across the country.

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