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138 RMG units run unrest risk

Cops, agencies call for steps to ensure workers' payments before Eid

Kai ias h Sarkar
Police and intelligence agencies suspect unrest may arise in 138 garment factories in Dhaka and its outskirts over non-payment of salaries and bonuses before Eid-ul-Azha.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has prepared a list of 93 vulnerable garment units in the metropolitan area while Dhaka district police headquarters have prepared a list of 45 factories situated outside the metropolis.
The lists have been sent to the police headquarters, which forwarded them to the commerce and labour ministries, requesting immediate measures to ensure that factory owners make the payments before Eid, sources said.
According to the survey reports, the police and intelligence agencies have warned the government about demonstrations on roads, arson attacks and other untoward incidents by garment workers causing deterioration in the law and order situation.
On Monday, the DMP held a meeting with leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), asking them to take immediate measures to avoid any such untoward incidents.
DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque told The Daily Star that the lists and reports have been prepared on intelligence and analysis of the past of those factories.
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He said the DMP survey was conducted dividing the Dhaka metropolis into seven zones and that responsible deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and officers-in-charge of all police stations aided the survey teams.
Shahidul Hoque said they also talked to a number of factory owners and asked them to pay their workers.
He informed The Daily Star that owners of many of the listed factories have already paid the salaries and bonuses to their workers.
"If any factory authority does not pay the salaries and bonuses and if that becomes a threat to law and order, the police will go for tougher action against those authorities," the DMP commissioner said. "We have also requested the BGMEA to look into the matter."
According to the DMP survey report, there are 26 factories in Mirpur, Pallabi and Kafrul areas under Mirpur zone, eight in Rampura and Motijheel under Motijheel zone, five in Jatrabari and KadamtoliunderWarizone, 10 in Malibagh and Moghbazar under Ramna zone, six in Tejgaon industrial area under Tejgaon zone, 21 in Uttara, Turag and Dakkhinkhan under Uttara zone, and 17 in Gulshan and Badda under Gulshan zone.
BGMEA Vice-President (Finance) Md Siddiqur Rahman, who was nresent at
the meeting with the DMP authorities, told The Daily Star, "We have received the DMP's list and already started working on the matter."
BGMEA President Abdus Salam MtirSHfedy said; "Despite various problems in the garment sector, we are trying to convince factory owners to pay the salaries and bonuses of the workers."
He said, "We are persuading bank authorities so that they give loans to defaulter factory owners and also talking to the leaders of labourers' organisation so that they do not go for violence.
"We are aware of the reality but we are hopeful that we will be able to deal with the situation peacefully as we did ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr,' Murshedysaid.
He, however, admitted that the BGMEA has no control over at least 25 listed factories that are not members of the association.
Talking to The Daily Star, Dhaka District Police Superintendent Md labal Bahar said, "We have prepared the list of 45 factories after conducting survey on around 800 factories in Dhaka Export Processing Zone, Savar, Ashulia, Keraniganj and other areas surrounding die capital.