Editorial
Avoidable violence in RMG sector
High time worker-management relationship is streamlined
THE garment sector, afflicted by labour unrest in recent times, got into trouble once more on Saturday when garment workers went on rampage in the city's Malibagh area demanding festival bonus. The owners reportedly declined to pay more than 25 percent of the basic pay as bonus.
The latest flare-up, in which at least 40 vehicles were damaged, is a clear indication of too many things going wrong between the owners and the workers. But why must the public suffer through the vandalism of workers that is reprehensible and the insensitivity of the management towards the workers legitimate demands which is untenable? The workers of the factory in Malibagh have claimed that the owners had promised to pay full bonus this year, after having paid 25 percent of the basic pay last year. If the claim is true, then there has been a clear breach of commitment on the part of the owner. The BGMEA's response to the violent incident appeared to be rather perfunctory and elusive, as its general secretary stated that payment of bonus was an internal matter of a factory and that such payment was not mandatory.
If we consider the developments in the sector as a whole over the last couple of years, we have seen the workers agitating for arrear salaries and overtime bills which doesn't indicate that the owners are sensitive enough to the genuine grievances of the workers.
We believe the owners have to fulfill the legitimate demands of the workers, while the latter must refrain from turning violent on hearing news of atrocity or rumour of fatality without verifying truth. But we believe, there must be some legitimate representatives from amongst the workers to interact and negotiate with the owners on a continuing basis. That is a void which needs to be filled.
Our concern is multiplied by the global financial crisis which may hit our RMG sector in the days ahead. Unfortunately, the local industry is finding it hard to run smoothly when enhancing productivity and diversifying products are needed to save the industry from any negative impact. We must put it back on the right track.
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