Editorial
Occasional unrest in garment sector
Evolve trouble-shooting mechanism in each unit
THE garment sector, the country's premier foreign exchange earner, has not yet found an effective solution to the almost chronic labour unrest, which sometimes turns violent and obstructs production. The latest outbreak of such agitation was witnessed in Ashulia where production in at least 30 factories had to be stopped, as workers took charge of the situation and clashed with law enforcers coming to the rescue of the owners.
The situation is regrettable, particularly when the national economy has to absorb the shock of global recession. It is a testing time for the garment sector when everything should be functioning smoothly. But the existing worker-owner relations do indicate that the sector as a whole is not well-equipped to face the challenge, rather it is limping with strikes and violent incidents which stop production.
The demands put forward by workers, at least in the latest instance, relate to routine fringe benefits, which the management of the factories should have been able to meet without any incident. The factory managers appear to be in an impervious mood and are not attaching due importance to the workers' grievances. Otherwise, matters like paying conveyance and lunch bills would not have created such a tense situation that ultimately went out of control. Clearly, management failure is, at least partially, responsible for the workers getting agitated.
As for the workers, their survival hinges on productivity and regular functioning of the factories. They have to go by the rules, instead of going on the rampage at a moment's notice. Slight delay in fulfillment of their demands must not drive them to frenzied action.
The garment owners are apparently relying on law enforcers' support to manage the agitating workers. In the past, in 2008 to be precise, their desperation reached a point where they demanded deployment of armed personnel in the factories to maintain peace and order. But only a durable solution can come through strict adherence to labour laws and full compliance with the tripartite agreement under supervision of some authority. The truth of the matter is that labour issues have to be settled within the precincts of the factories. Some auto-reactive trouble-shooting mechanism should exist in the industrial units. Deployment of law enforcers can at best be a temporary measure. Owners have to give workers a patient hearing and solve the problems within the framework of existing agreements.
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