UNB, Dhaka :Workers’ unions in the readymade garment (RMG) sector on Sunday claimed that about 75 percent of the apparel factories have failed to implement the new wage structure, while almost all the factories are tampering with the grades of the workers to deprive them of the legitimate wages. Addressing a press conference, union leaders also noted that some 10 lakh workers in the knitting sub-sector are getting the same wages as before as the last minimum wages board has not considered the hike in the ‘piece rate’, which is actually the basis of payment in knitting factories. Besides, the right of knitting workers to get the overtime payment has been rescinded by the government through the imposition of section 108 of the Bangladesh Labuor (Amendment) Act 2013. The press conference was organised by Garments Sramik Sangram Parishad at Nirmal Sen Auditorium at Topkhana Road, Paltan. Speaking on the occasion, Parishad coordinator Rafiqul Islam Pathik said, “Although it was declared by the government that the new wage structure should be implemented in all the factories of the sector byJanuary, only 25-30 percent of the factories have done so.” “Even where the new structure has been implemented, the owners are tactically depriving many workers by tampering with the grading of the workers,” he said. “Besides, the last minimum wages board has not considered increasing the piece rate in the knitting factories,” he said, adding that the earning of workers in knitting factories are calculated on the basis of piece rate. Pathik also noted that the government has curbed the right of knitting workers to have overtime payment by imposing section 108 of the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act 2013. He demanded that the government take effective steps to force the RMG owners to pay the legitimate wages to the workers, and immediately repeal section 108 from the Act.The press conference was also addressed by Bangladesh Textile Garments Workers’ Federation president Mahbubur Rahman Ismail and Biplobi Garments Sramik Sanghati convener Mir Mofazzal Hossain Mostafa.
