Due to the pressure from the western community, brands and rights groups, two apex bodies of Bangladesh’s apparel sector have decided to go soft in the cases filed against readymade garment workers in connection with recent unrest.
Even the workers have got full salary for the month of November although nearly 78 factories had decided to implement ‘no work, no pay’ policy under Section 13 of Labour Act.
The two apex bodies-Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), were determined to continue the legal procedures against identified workers who were involved in massive vandalism and arson in the factories.
Besides, they urged the government to investigate the incidents and ensure justice for the workers who were killed during the protests over salary hike.
BKMEA Vice President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan told The Business Post, “We have asked the owners to withdraw the cases against agitating workers who did not commit vandalism. And if possible, the owners should pay the full November salary to innocent workers despite announcement about salary cut.”
Chairman of the BGMEA Standing Committee on ILO and Labour Affairs ANM Saifuddin said, “We have decided in principle to withdraw normal vandalism cases considering humanity, and will instruct the members soon in this regard. But we can do nothing over police cases.”
Mentioning that the owners withdrew all previous cases against workers he said, “This time we will not consider the cases filed over torching and massive vandalism. Criminals burnt a worker to death by torching the factories. If we withdraw this case, there won’t anything left of law.”
Meanwhile, Sammilita Sramik Parishad (SSP), an alliance of ten labour rights organisations, gave an ultimatum demanding withdrawal of all the cases against the workers, trial of those responsible for deaths during the wage hike movement, treatment of injured workers, release of arrested workers, and review of wages announced for the garment sector in favour of Tk 25,000 minimum wage.
The organisation said that if their demand is not fulfilled before December 31, they will observe a fresh work abstention from January 1 next year. The activists of the alliance started their campaigns near RMG factories in Gazipur, Ashulia and Savar areas and distributed leaflets among the workers.
On October 23, workers began protests seeking an increase in minimum wage to Tk 23,000 to help them cope with skyrocketing inflation. The demonstrations soon turned violent, and continued till November 12.
During the unrest, at least four workers were killed, over a hundred got injured while 26 factories were vandalised, and two were torched. Factory owners and police filed 43 cases against workers and trade union leaders, and 115 workers were sent to prison.
To tackle the situation, over a hundred factories were forced to close, and as the situation cooled down following police action, most of the closed factories resumed production since November 15.
The government set Tk 12,500 as minimum monthly salary for RMG workers which took effect since December 1, though trade unions rejected this, citing insufficient and announced its decision to continue protests peacefully.
Though most of the workers already got bail from the court, some are still in prison, trade unions claim.
The US Department of State, other major global stakeholders, as well as apparel sector brands condemned the “violence” against garment workers in Bangladesh who are demonstrating for an increase in the minimum wage.
These stakeholders asked the government to ensure a decent wage for nearly 4 million RMG workers.
On December 15, eight US congressmen wrote to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) and said, “The recent wage increases announced by Bangladesh’s wage board, which would not even meet the rising cost of living, have led to extended mass protests.“
“Police have responded with violence against protesters and trade union leaders, resulting in at least four deaths, numerous injuries, and a wave of unjust arrests, detentions, and indefinite factory shutdowns,” the letter reads.
In the latter, the congressmen asked AAFA to call for an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by police and other security forces against workers, pressure the government and garment manufacturers of Bangladesh to improve the wage setting process and accept workers’ minimum demand of $208 per month to align with the real cost of living; commit to maintaining a long-term sourcing relationship with your suppliers and to increasing your purchasing prices to fully absorb the additional labour costs.
Besides, the US Embassy of Bangladesh talked to the BGMEA and asked to withdraw the recent cases filed against workers. Buyers Office Representative Forum in Dhaka, also known as the Buyers Forum, has expressed dissatisfaction over recent RMG workers’ unrest, and filing of cases against workers.
Local think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) asked the authority to ensure fair trial by releasing the RMG workers detained during the wage protest, withdraw any deliberate cases filed specifically against the protesting workers, and provide compensation to the families of workers killed during the protests.
