AROUND 11,000 apparel workers of 99 factories in Dhaka, Ashulia, Savar, Gazipur and Narayanganj have so far been fired and 3,500 others have been implicated in 34 cases for their participation in the movement held in January demanding proportionately wage hike, according to the IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC), a platform of 13 trade union federations. The sacked workers are not getting jobs anywhere as the owners posted their information on websites. Apprehending another workers’ unrest, IBC chairman demanded withdrawal of all cases and reinstatement of 11,000 sacked workers at a press conference at National Press Club on Tuesday.
IBC secretary general said that the number of terminated workers would increase as their sacking continued. Besides, IBC vice-president and also president of the National Garment Workers Federation claimed that the BGMEA has prepared a biometric database of 35 lakhs garment workers to use against the workers to infringe upon their rights. The leaders sought the government intervention to stop workers’ repression. On the other hand, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president said that the factory owners had the legal right to sack workers.
According to the Industrial police, a total of 4,899 workers of garment factories were sacked following last January’s pay-hike movement. In this backdrop, IBC former general secretary has urged the government to form a tripartite committee comprising of representatives of the owners, the government and the labour leaders to investigate reason behind the unrest.
What we see that a vested quarter is trying to create an abnormal situation in the appeal sector by taking some aggressive steps, including unnecessarily terminating general workers and implicating several others in different cases, those are out of knowledge of the authorities concerned. Whereas the government on January 13 revised the new wage structure for around 40 lakh workers in country’s about 4,000 apparel factories. The role of BGMEA also should be cleared in this regard. If some of the workers were involved in clashes or sabotage activities during workers’ movement, they must be brought to book. But it doesn’t mean that there would be wholesale termination. We do urge the authorities to take the issue seriously.
