Apparel workers continue street protests for pay hike
Workers from different garment factories located in Gazipur, Ashulia, Narayanganj and Savar have been taking to the streets demanding a wage hike and timely payment of wages and other allowances.
The government on Sunday called upon trade union leaders to take initiative to stop the unrest in the RMG sector and assured that the new minimum wage for the workers would be finalised by November 30.
Workers from at least 70 garment factories had staged demonstrations in the past seven days–from October 23 to October 29–demanding minimum wage hike and timely payment of wages and other arrears, according to Industrial Police sources.
Against the backdrop of increasing unrest in the readymade garment sector, labour ministry on Sunday held a meeting with the RMG sector trade union leaders at Shrama Bhaban in the city.
Nearly 100 of trade union leaders attended the meeting and most of them said that the proposal of minimum wage from the factory owners to the wage board was unacceptable and it made the RMG workers disappointed.
They also identified delay in the wage setting process in the minimum wage board, excessive price hike of essential commodities, non-payment of wages and misbehaviour with workers as causes of unrest in many factories.
Labour leaders said that announcement of a reasonable minimum wage for the workers within the shortest possible time could be a solution to the ongoing unrest in the RMG sector.
Meanwhile, Industrial Police sources said that out of 70 RMG factories, workers of 60 units took to the streets demanding Tk 23,000 as minimum monthly wage.
Demonstrations of workers took place mostly in factories located in the Konabari area in Gazipur.
In a meeting with trade union leaders, state minister for labour Monnujan Sufian said that a group of misguided workers were saying that a Tk 10,400 has been set as minimum wage.
‘I will request labour leaders to take initiative to stop the unrest. Please go to the factory and inform workers that the minimum wage board is working to set new minimum wage and it will be finalised by November 30,’ the state minister said.
She said that workers could stage demonstrations for their lawful demands but it would be unfortunate if the event took place due to the political reason.
‘I would request factory owners not to terminate workers before the national election so that no one can make it a political issue,’ Monnujan said.
Lima Ferdousi, president of Garment Shramik Karmachari League, said that the irresponsible proposal from factory owners to the wage board triggered labour unrest in RMG factories.
The owners’ proposal for Tk 10,400 as minimum wage was completely unacceptable and the proposal made workers disappointed, she said.
Lima Ferdousi also said that the garment factories’ officials hurled abusive words at the workers, beat the workers and also cut the portion of their salaries for the slightest delay even in using washroom during the work.
Taslima Akhter, president of Garment Sramik Samhati, said that owners’ proposal made workers angry.
She urged the government to give importance to the need to increase workers’ wages.
Montu Ghosh, president of Garment Sramik Trade Union Kendra, said that the minimum wage board had failed to bring any positive result for the workers in the past six months.
Declaration of new wages for the workers within the shortest possible time could be a solution to ongoing unrest, he said.
Shajahan Khan, a member of the standing committee on labour and employment ministry in the Parliament urged the trade union leaders to convince workers as board was working to review their wages.
He said that labour leaders would have to remain alert so that no one could create unrest in the RMG sector as part of the politics of hartal.
