Garment workers' plight

Bangladeshi products have lost a lot of ground in the international market which is evident from orders decreasing by around 40 per cent. The price hike of raw materials has also been a big jolt to the local sweater factories.

The reports of suicides, however, have brought into light certain aspects of employment in garment factories that need to be examined closely. The sacked workers have actually been thrown on to the streets, with absolutely no other avenue for employment being available to them. There is no safety net or rehabilitation scheme that could help them absorb the shock of losing jobs. The factory owners' responsibility seemingly ends with the act of retrenchment. There is apparently nobody to think about the bleak future of the garment workers who have been playing a pivotal role in the country's premier foreign exchange earning sector.

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Vocational training in some other field could help them keep afloat. Similarly, there should be something called severance benefits which the employees need to absorb the shock and difficulties associated with sudden loss of jobs. It is not only a question of providing some support to the poor men and women, but also of giving the whole job structure a more humane face. The leaders of the organisations representing the garment manufacturers and exporters seem unaware of the tragic deaths which is unfortunate. They better keep tab on the situation so as to be able to provide a social safety-net for the job losers with the government support thrown in.

The suicides should also be an eye opener to the likely post-MFA scenario, when there will be a quota free regime and, consequently, a much harder competition for the garment exporting countries.