Editorial
Putting the garment sector on track
Ad hoc measures won't work
THE garment sector, country's premier foreign exchange earner, is bumping along, as labour unrest is often degenerating into violent demonstrations leading to work stoppage of the most damaging kind.
Clearly, there is a deep sense of resentment among the workers which must be removed through practical means. It is a sad truth that their salaries are lower than what garment workers get in the neighbouring countries. The owners have to sit with the labour representatives to settle the issue in their own enlightened self-interest, thus fulfilling the workers' legitimate demands. The differences have to be thrashed out on a durable basis. There are other sectors like leather and ceramic where labour unrest seldom erupts. So, sustainable owner-worker relations have to be developed to avoid violence and vandalism. In this context, the process of establishing trade union rights by way of removing misunderstanding and misgivings between the employer and the employees merits consideration under a reformed labour law.
The government wants the minimum salary of garment workers to be Tk 5,000 per month or so, while the owners are reportedly inclined to give only Tk 1,900 or thereabouts, which sounds like a perfunctory response lacking in sincerity. Tk 5,000, or anything close to it, as the lowest slab of salary does sound to be rational and acceptable.
But we have noticed to our dismay that factories where working conditions are good, salaries better and the units on the whole running successfully have apparently come under attack by workers from units that fall far short of meeting their demands. In most cases, reportedly, outsiders are involved with disruptive consequences.
So, we believe the once-talked about creation of auxiliary industrial force should be translated into reality to keep peace in the factories.
The owners have opened the garment units, following the latest labour unrest, on the government's assurance that it would take all the necessary measures for the security of the units. However, we would like to point out that the situation would improve only when there is an atmosphere of trust and mutual dependence between the owners and the workers.
Ad hoc and piecemeal measures cannot work towards removing the deep-rooted ailment that the sector is suffering from. All the stakeholders must come forward and hammer out a deal that will serve both the owners and the workers on the basis of justice and fair play. What they cannot overlook is the importance of the garment sector to our national economy.
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