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Sleuths smell pre-Eid unrest in RMG sector


Published : 09 May 2020 09:27 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 03:45 PM

BNP-Jamaat leaders in association with some left leaning worker organizations are allegedly planning to create severe unrest in the country’s garments sectors.

Intelligence sources said the right wing political parties are hatching conspiracy to tarnish the image of the government by creating instability.

The anti-government quarters have become desperate to implement their secret plots as the Eid-ul-Fitr is drawing near.
Sources claimed that some labor leaders of various non-political organizations will also try to provoke the workers.

These organizations will send their leaders and activists to various RMG factories to spread dissatisfaction among workers over their dues and other pay inequalities.

An influential intelligence agency prepared the report last week, and submitted it to the government high ups and the Prime Minister’s Office.

In its reports, it said that around one dozen worker leaders are directly involved in the conspiracies.
According to intelligence sources, some RMG factory owners will pay only Eid bonus to the RMG workers, if Eid-ul Fitr is celebrated on May 24.

In this situation, some labour leaders are misleading RMG workers and pushing them to demand the advance salary of May with the Eid bonus.

They will try to create a volatile situation in the garment sector by instigating the workers misusing the issue.
The suspected leaders include Mizanur Rahman of Garment Workers Federation, Aminul Islam and Montu Ghosh of Garment Workers Trade Union, Jolly Talukder of Garment Workers Trade Union Center, Kazi Ruhul Amin of Garment Workers Trade Union, Nazma Akhter of Sammilita Garment Sramik Federation, Moshrefa Mishu of Garment Workers Federation , Al Kamran of Swadhin Bangla Garment Workers Federation, Babul Akhter of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Worker Federation and Ali Reza Chowdhury Tuhin of Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Federation.

The intelligence agency has advised law enforcing agencies to keep surveillance on these worker leaders immediately.
BGMEA claimed that so far 98 per cent of the factory workers were paid their salaries.

Some garment owners however failed to pay their wages. As a result, RMG sector witnessed roadblocks, vandalism and protests.

In this situation, if RMG factory owners do not pay their salaries timely, the situation may deteriorate further, intelligence warned the government high-ups.

On Monday, a meeting on wages of garment workers was held at Shram Bhaban. State Minister for Labor Mannujan Sufian presided over the meeting.

At that meeting, labour leaders demanded 100% wages for the workers. Leaders of BGMEA and BKMEA were also present at the meeting. Earlier, a tripartite meeting had decided to pay 80 per cent wages. Labour leaders claimed that the meeting did not reach a unanimous decision.

The intelligence report said that due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, some employers are terminating workers without paying their dues.

Sigma Fashion Limited, a factory located at Yusuf Market in the city’s outskirts, Ashulia, employs 1,400 people. On April 25, the factory was laid off. Agitated workers protested in front of the gate of the factory. The BGMEA and BKMEA had publicly claimed that they would not lay off any workers in the corona situation. Referring to these types of incidents in the RMG sector, the intelligence agency warned that a volatile situation may occur in the RMG sector centering the retrenchment of workers.

According to the report, workers are required to work in factories in accordance with social distancing and hygiene rules. Several garments have set their machines a step apart to ensure social distancing. However, proper hygiene rules are not being followed in some factories. Such issues can lead to terrible situations.