The knitwear manufacturers of the country will provide identity cards for workers with a view to preserving personal information of the workers.

President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Fuzlul Hoque said this at a seminar on ' Labour-Owner Relations for Ensuring a Sustainable Future of Garment Sector' in Dhaka yesterday.

” The database will help to get access to personal information of the workers. We have already placed the idea, which has immediately been accepted by the government. Now we are making a formal proposal to place before the government soon," the BKMEA president said.

BKMEA will soon announce

another scheme for providing food to its workers at lower cost, Hoque said at the seminar, organised by Karmajibi Nari (KN) on the sideline of its two-day Garment Industry Celebrity Fair.

" We have everything except skilled managers who are pivotal for effective running of the factories," said Syed Manzur Elahi, former adviser to the caretaker government and chairman of Apex group, adding that due to the lack of skilled local managers many foreign nationals are occupying managerial positions in the sector.

" Instead of considering each other as rivals, the factory owners and workers should establish good relationship through negotiations for betterment of the sector," said Nurul Islam, president of Gonotantri Party.