The amount of wages for garment workers is so meagre that it becomes almost impossible for them to manage two moderate meals a day due to soaring prices of essentials, let alone taking care of health, grudges a garment worker

"BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) said workers can visit doctors at its medical centres, but do we have any time to go to centres? Our work pressure is so heavy that we cannot even have some time for rest.” said Farzana, a garment worker with a decade's expe-

She was sharing her experience at a roundtable on "Workers' health rights and security" jointly organised by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Environment Health Programme of Bangladesh Panbesh Andolon (Bapa) in association with National Health Rights Movement at the National Press Club in the city.

“The wage is so meagre that there remains almost nothing to buy foods after paying house rent," she said.

"Sometimes we, workers, lose our temper for work pressure. There is not a small space for us in the factories where we can take rest for 10 minutes,” Farzana said, adding that workers even do not

know that there are medical centres of BGMEA providing medicare to them.

Karmojibi Nari President Shirin Akhter said doctors, who con ducted surveys on health status of female garment workers, found 85 percent of them suffer from various reproductive problems.

They also face physical problems like headache, muscle pains, kidney troubles for not having adequate facilities to drink water and toilet facilities for female workers in the factories, she said.

Endorsing the views by Farzana, Trade Union Kendra General Secretary Dr Wazedul Islam Khan said despite the fact that good health of workers is very crucial for productivity, the factory owmers do not want to understand it.

Female workers during the pre-and post-natal period pass time of uncertainty about their jobs and childcare, as most factories do not care much about maternity leave and day care centres for children of the workers, he added.

Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies Assistant Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said security and health of workers depend on wages, working hour, food and rest, but the wages they get are very small compared to the high prices of commodities.

"Keeping good health is not

possible by this small wage," he said, adding that there are no hospitals in areas where new garment factories are being set up, while hospitals that are located near factories remain closed at night.

“Workers cannot spare time to visit doctors during daytime," the labour expert said, demanding setting up camps in new industrial areas and keeping hospitals in the areas open during nighttime so that workers can visit during their off period.

Speaking as chief guest. Bapa President Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said only ten medical centres in the sprawling industrial areas in and around the city is insignificant in number.

“We want that the workers will have their career planning, nutrition and security. It is not only the matter of compliance required by tiie buyers, but of our national interests." he said, demanding improvement of workplace environment in industries.

Stating that garment owners are trying their best and have succeeded to a considerable extent in maintaining compliance, BGMEA President Anwarul Alam Chowdhury Parvez said, "We have no choice without compliance."

BGMEA has programmes on hygiene, training courses for capacity building of the workers and 10 medical centres to provide

healthcure services, but the government has to take some initiatives in this regard, he said.

"Workers have problems for lack of public transports and gas pipelines in areas where new industries are growing. We asked the government to set up industrial zones, but nothing happened." he said.

Physicians for Social Responsibility President Dr Kam ml Hasan Khan, Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, Dr AKM Saleh, Dr Nitai Das, Dr Mostaque Hossain, Dr Iqbal Azim and Bapa leader Sharif Jamil also spoke.