No work, no pay
FROM PAGE 1
Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), announced the decision after a view exchange meeting on the current labour unrest at Ashulia, which houses more than 400 factories.
Three advisers to the interim government -- including Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, the adviser on labour and employment ministry -- the government higher-ups, a group of former BGMEA presidents, factory owners, senior army officers, police officers, union leaders and millers attended the meeting.
Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), supported the BGMEA decision and said the BKMEA member factories will also follow the same decision if the unrest does not stop today.
Most of the factories in Ashulia were running yesterday until lunchtime, after which the workers did not return to their workstations.
So, if the unrest continues, the factory owners will shut their units that cannot be run, Islam said.
If the government assures safety, the production units will be run as normal, said AK Azad, chairman and chief executive officer of Ha-Meem Group which employs 75,000 workers and officers mainly at Ashulia.
“If the unrest continues, we will shut the factories.”
The government formed a committee headed by an additional secretary of the labour ministry to find out the reason for the unrest and the committee is scheduled to submit the report after one month.
“But one month is too long -- we want an immediate decision from the government for running the factories,” Azad said.
Ha-Meem Group could not run its factories at Ashulia even with the help of the police as a group of outsiders came to the gate and called the workers to join the movement.
As many as 20 industrial police members were deployed in his factories at Ashulia, but it was not possible to run the units.
Ananta Garments has been bearing Tk 1.2 crore as operational loss for every day of unrest, said its managing director Inamul Haq Khan.
So, over the last 13 days, the company lost Tk 15 crore.
Yesterday, which was the 14th day of the unrest, he could open his factory.
“Still, it is uncertain whether we can return to normal production as the unrest is continuing in the Ashulia industrial belt,” he said.
Work orders are diverting to India, Pakistan and other countries as international retailers and brands are worried and asking about the frequent unrest in Bangladesh, said Kalpan Hossain, managing director of DEKKO Legacy Group.
The current unrest has been taking place for three reasons: instigation of outsiders, some logical and illogical demands by the workers, and turf war over jhoot (scrapped clothes) trading, said Md Moin Khan, general officer commanding (GOC) of the 9th Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army.
The army will continue patrolling the industrial belts so that normalcy can be restored and production resumed in the affected factories, he added.
Md. Sibgat Ullah, deputy inspector general of Industrial Police, said they have already arrested many wrongdoers involved in the unrest.
He also suggested clearing the workers’ salaries, which were supposed to be done in the first week of a month.
As of yesterday, 4,094 of the 9,481 factories have completed the payment to the workers, he added.
Amirul Haque Amin, president of the National Garment Workers Federation, asked the factory owners to reopen their units and to meet the demand of the workers.
The federation will help in the smooth running of the factories, he said, while asking the factory owners not to blacklist the workers for their alleged involvement in the unrest.
“The basic causes for the unrest need to be found out -- there is an instigation by the defeated forces,” said Montu Ghosh, president of the Garment Workers Trade Union Centre.
Babul Akhter, general secretary to the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, urged the factory owners to sort out their mid-level management, become sincere in meeting the workers’ demands, take care of unionism and give equal attendance bonuses and other allowances.
The government will try to ensure the safety of factories by deploying full force in the industrial zones, said Adilur Rahman Khan, the adviser to the industries ministry.
The owners have been requested to keep their factories running; if there is any unrest in any factory, the government will take measures and special measures against the wrongdoers, he said.
If any quarter is found involved in the unrest, the government will also take measures against them, Khan added.
Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, adviser for the labour and employment ministry, suggested the factory owners meet the genuine demands of the workers.
The government is considering ramping up open market sales by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh in the industrial belts so that the workers can buy commodities on the cheap, he said.