BSS, Dhaka :
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed today said garment factory owners should be sympathetic to their workers and should not terminate them on silly grounds, as they make export quality items of the country.
“The garment factory owners should be more sympathetic to their workers as they fetch the country’s biggest export earning,” he said while speaking at a views sharing meeting at the ministry’s conference room here.
Readymade garment factory owners, representatives of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), secretary of labour and employment Mikail Shipar and secretary of commerce Mahbub Ahmed were present at the meeting.
The meeting was held on Generalised System of Preference (GSP) issue and discussed various points to remove anomalies in 19 garment factories.
“We have addressed most of the issues except four, which would be completed soon,” he said. The issues are, formation of trade union at Export Processing Zone (EPZ), establishment of database and appointment of 200 inspectors. After the meeting the minister expected that the US would restore GSP facilities for Bangladesh.
“RMG factory owners should not terminate workers on a silly grounds because around 44 lakh workers are involved in the sector, of them around 80 per cent are female workers,” the minister said.
He said the present situation in the country is business friendly, which is better than any previous time and the garment sector is now peaceful which should be continued with caring of the owners and workers.
“Bangladesh is the second largest country in the world in exporting RMG goods after China,” Tofail stated, adding that the export earning from the sector is expected to reach $31.5 billion.
The minister said readymade garment sector has been able to draw attention of the international community.
Tofail expected that the USA would allow duty free, quota free market access within two years following the World Trade Organisation’s 9th conference decision held in Bali.
BGMEA and BKMEA representatives said buyers are not interested in increasing even one cent, but factory owners have already enhanced salaries of the workers.
