Ashulia workers want to return to work

A fear of losing more of their wages is causing the workers of recently closed RMG factories in Savar’s Ashulia area to seek a return to work as soon as possible. Garments factory owners’ body BGMEA has said the closed factories will reopen if the workers return to work peacefully and pledge to abjure agitation tactics. On Tuesday, in the wake of a continuous workers strike in Ashulia and Savar, some 84 RMG factory owners declared that they were shutting down their manufacturing units. The closure of factories under Article 13(1) of the Labour Act, 2013 allows owners to shut down all or part of industrial units affected by unscheduled labour action and allows the resulting loss in workers’ wages to remain unpaid. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, several workers in Ashulia and Savar expressed fears of losing more money if factories remain closed. They said they were eager to return to work. “I have to bear family expenses as well as my own with my wages. I am in doubt about receiving payment for those days the factory was closed,” Ferdous Mirza, a worker of Windy Group told the Dhaka Tribune. “If wages are deducted from my monthly salary, it will leave me in trouble to meet family expenses.” He urged the factory owners not to cut wages during the Article 13(1) closure. “I will work for my wages,” he added. Mohammad Anowar, a worker of Universe Knitting told the Dhaka Tribune: “There was no problem with our factory but it was declared closed following the strike at other factories. “This has affected my earnings. It is my earnest request to the management to reopen the factory. We were not involve in the strike.” BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “Demands for wage hikes are illogical because there is a provision for 5% annual increments which owners implement. “A new wage structure is possible only after the expiry of the five-year tenure of the current structure that was effected in December 2013.” He added: “If workers want to return to work peacefully, I will talk to the owners and decide whether or not the factories will be reopened.” When asked about wages withheld during the closure, Siddiqur said: “We will follow the law.” Sirajul Islam Rony, president of the Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, told the Dhaka Tribune: “I think workers will have to apply to factory owners to reopen the factories stating that they want to work.” The demand for a wage hike is logical but the way the workers went about it – going on strike – was outside the legal framework, Rony said. “Unruly labour tactics cannot ensure worker rights. Instead they create the opportunity for factory owners to take legal action against workers,” said Rony. “If workers went on strike after placing their demands, owners would not have had the chance to shut down the factories.”