A day after the government formed a committee to look into the wage discrepancies in the readymade garment (RMG) sector, the unrest in the industrial zones centering workers’ demonstrations was far from over up until Wednesday.
That was why the government decided that the clear and loud message must reach all garment workers that it is doing whatever is under its disposal to redress their grievances.
The 10-member strong body formed by the government is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Thursday.
“The committee will hold a meeting on Thursday at 2:30 pm to review the wage anomalies as alleged by the workers and will come up with a quick solution,” Begum Monnujan Sufian, State Minister for Labor and Employment told the Dhaka Tribune.
Last night at the Nam Garden, State Minister of Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian told the press that the problem might be solved in just a day. She described the case to be a matter of simple mathematical error or printing mistake.
The state minister also said that if no solutions could be found, then the prime minister would be approached, who has provided solutions before.
She said the protests may also be politically motivated.
Furthermore, she expressed her regret over workers being beaten during the protests and described it as an untoward incident.
She also urged the workers not to hold demonstrations further and requested them to join work.
In disseminating its decision of fixing the discrepancy in the new wage structure, government would also employ the sector’s trade union leaders so that the agitating workers have a better understanding of the government’s crisis resolution commitment.
Superintendent of Industrial Police in Gazipur Md Siddikur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday, “As next course of action, we will spread the government decision through trade union leaders, factory owners and our team members so that the workers no longer get involved in demonstrations.”
In spite of that, if the workers still continue to demonstrate the Industrial Police will announce the government decision using loud speakers; urging them to wait until the decision of the committee formed by the government comes up with a solution, said Rahman.
In face of protests from the garment workers to remove anomalies as far as gaps among the various salary grades are concerned, the government on Tuesday gave the assurance of fixing the problems by this month and formed a 10 member committee to look into the matter.It further pledged to adjust wages and pay them with the next month salaries as dues.
Despite the announcement, many RMG workers on Wednesday once again staged demonstrations, at times violently, as they were not well informed about the decisions.
Firoza Begum, a worker of the Al-Muslim Group, an apparel manufacturer, told the Dhaka Tribune she did not know about any government decision; neither did the factory management nor the trade union leaders inform them about it, she added.
Workers of the group on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the group’s office at Savar over the new wage structure.
In taming the protesters, Industrial Police of Dhaka-1 and Gazipur asked the factory owners to inform the workers about the decision.
Meanwhile, the Savar Industrial Police already asked factory owners to spread the government decisions among the workers.
“Since, the workers are not well informed of the government decision, from the Industrial Police of Savar, we have asked the factory owners to disseminate the information so that they go back to the factory for work instead of staging demonstrations,” Ashulia Industrial Police (Dhaka 1) SP Sana Saminur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.
