The number of jobless garment workers is on an alarming rise as the RMG factories are being shut day by day since the collapse of Rana Plaza building that brought bane to the RMG sector.
Lack of enough work orders, non-compliance with the rules, labor unrest, exit from business and factory relocations are attributed to the closure of the factories.
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) latest data, since the Rana Plaza collapse last year, a total of 209 RMG factories were closed for the aforesaid reason.
Of the total units, 56% or 118 factories were subcontractors, while 45.45% or 95 were housed in shared buildings.
At least 1.20 lakh workers, mostly women, were employed in those factories, of which most were in trouble as they had to lose jobs.
In a recent visit to Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, the Dhaka Tribune found that the garment workers were craving for jobs in garment factories but failed as the owners hung notice of no vacancy.
“Of the jobless, 40% manged jobs in another factory, while 20% remained unemployed, 25% were working on contact basis, 10% left Dhaka and 5% male workers changed their professions,” Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers-Employees League (BNGWEL) told the Dhaka Tribune.
“I have tried several times to get a job in the city as well as outside the city but failed,” said Helena Akter, a worker of Juki Garments, which had been closed recently. She also said most of the factory hung notice that there was no vacancy.
“Being failed to avail a job, now I have gone back to my village,” said Taslima Akter, a worker of Tuba Group.
“After the Eid ul-Azha, I will go to Dhaka and try to find a job, but I do not know whether it will be possible,” said Taslima.
On the other hand male workers are facing more trouble as the owners are unwilling to recruit them to avert unrest.
Seeking anonymity, a factory owner told the Dhaka Tribune: “We avoid appointment of male workers as they create more problem than that by the female workers.”
“Lack of enough work orders, shared building, non-compliance issues, workers unrest were major issues behind the closure of 209 factories,” BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.
He urged the government to provide gas and electricity for the factories whose owners want to relocate them to avert permanent unemployment.
“Being disturbed by the workers, I closed the factory as the workers stopped working at their own sweet will,” Iqbal Hossain, owner of Tivoli Apparels Limited told the Dhaka Tribune.
According to the BGMEA data, a total of 36 garment factories were closed due to labour unrest.
The workers confined four officials for three days and there was no way but to shut the factory, Iqbal said, alleging that some workers’ leaders were calling the shot from behind.
The situation is worsening and further closure of other factories is in the pipeline, he said, adding that the work order is much less than earlier while the workers are not cooperating, rather creating anarchy that hampers production.
The safety issue acted as a catalyst behind the factory closure and most factories were declared closed over the issue.
The issues of fire and building safety in the country’s RMG sector came under the spotlight last year following the collapse of Rana Plaza building. Due to safety issues over 21 factories had been declared closed out of 1,631 units.
“I have shut the operation of my factories as it was risky to safety for the workers,” Shams Uddin Ahmed, managing director of Jamuna Fashion Wears, told the Dhaka Tribune.
He also urged the government to provide gas and electricity for the owners, who need to relocate their factories in urgent basis, otherwise the number of jobless workers would rise alarmingly.
The factory owners claimed the pullout of work orders led them to close down their factories.
Kazi Iftekhar Ahmed, managing director, The Immaculate Apparels Ltd, said: “I had to close down my factory as the buyers were not placing orders in the shared building housing the garment factory.”
Kazi used to manufacture products for European buyers.
Meanwhile, some factory owners said the banks are not cooperating to provide them with fund, rather they are creating some problems.
“During political unrest my factory was looted by some local hoodlums with the help of others and I tried to reopen but bank did not help me,”said Syed Faizul Ahsan Shameem, chairman of Dotcom Sweater.
