Home ›› 23 Apr 2022 ›› Front
Md Mahfuz Islam, 29, lost a finger in an accident when he was working at a readymade garment factory in Gazipur last year. He has already spent around Tk 50,000 on finger treatment.
“My employer gave me some money for treatment. But they have not yet compensated me for the workplace accident,” he told The Business Post.
He said his employer was bound to pay this compensation according to the labour law. “But if I force them to pay, they might sack me. How can I take that risk?”
Habibur Rahman (not his real name) tried to form a trade union at an apparel factory in Narayanganj in 2020. When the factory authorities came to know this, they forced him to resign.
Mahfuz and Habibur are not isolated examples in the country’s apparel industry. It has been nine years since the Rana Plaza collapse, and there have been improvements in workplace safety. But the labour law has not been fully implemented yet while the human rights situation is still poor.
Many workers claimed a large number of factories do not pay salaries on time, forming trade unions is difficult, and forced resignation is common. They also claimed misconduct in the workplace is common despite being prohibited by law.
Industrial police said on Friday that over 200 apparel factories had not year cleared workers’ March wages, though the law says salaries have to be paid within seven working days of the next month.
In case a worker suffers permanent disablement as a result of a workplace injury, the amount of compensation will be Tk 1.25 lakh.
Also, in case of workers who suffer temporary disablement, the compensation may be assessed for the period of their disablement or a year, whichever is less.
Thus the amount of compensation payable for the first two months will be the entire monthly wage while the amount for the next two months will be two-thirds of the monthly wage. For the remaining months, it will be half of the monthly wage.
Gazi Imon, who has been working in this sector since 2006, said the situation had improved compared to five or six years ago but challenges remained.
“Factory owners treat us as slaves, though there are of course exceptions. There are owners who care a lot about their workers,” he said.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said they were committed to fully implementing the labour law and the situation in the clothing sector was much better compared to others.
On April 24 in 2013, an eight-storey commercial building named Rana Plaza, which housed five clothing factories, collapsed in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka. More than 1,134 people were killed while over 2,500 were injured.
Most of the victims of the deadly industrial accident were apparel workers. Bangladesh received harsh criticisms from the international community after the accident, and many Western buyers also stopped placing orders.
The US and European buyers then formed Accord and Alliance to improve workplace safety in the apparel sector. Now the RMG Sustainable Council is overseeing this sector.
Labour leaders said workplace safety had improved but workers’ rights were still on paper. They also said as many factories do not pay wages on time, workers take to the street every month and demonstrate.
“Garment workers demonstrating on the street demanding wages have been attacked by law enforcement agencies on different occasions in the past. Hundreds of workers have faced this while many have been sued as well. Where are their rights?” Shohel Rana Sampad, general secretary of Bangladesh Sramik Odhikar Parishad, told The Business Post.
“Every factory has a worker participation committee, but there is no election and owners form this as they want. Forming trade unions is rare in this sector,” Shahidullah Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Trade Union Centre, told The Business Post.
The Business Post, however, has found that this committee has been formed through proper elections in some factories.
“The government has banned trade unions in EPZ areas. Some labour ministry officials are not interested in letting workers enjoy their rights as per the law. They are always serving the owners’ purposes,” Shahidullah further said.
The BGMEA president, however, said owners always try to pay wages on time and also welcome the formation of trade unions.
“We had to invest a lot of money to improve workplace safety after the Rana Plaza collapse, but buyers did not financially support us in that. They even reduced apparel prices gradually. That is why our owners are facing a liquidity crisis, which is the main reason for the occasional delays in wage payments,” he explained.
“We want to offer better wages and facilities to our workers, but we need fair prices for our products. If buyers ensure that, we will able to provide these benefits,” he added.
Faruque also said workers are not used to trade unions in Bangladesh and that is why there is little progress in that area.
“But BGMEA is always extending support to form trade unions. These unions are not mandatory, but we are bound to allow their formation if workers want them. Compared to others, the readymade garment sector has more trade unions in the country.”
