Workers’ demands are not unjust

The workers' demands are logical so owners should sit together to address this and restore stability to the garment industry, the country's largest export-earner, said Kalpona Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation.

This will help avert the risk of business losses, she said.

"We cannot afford to lose business. We cannot afford to lose our jobs," she said in an interview with The Daily Star against the backdrop of lingering unrest in the single biggest industry in terms of employment in the country.

The current stalemate has raised concerns about buyers shifting orders away from Bangladesh.

The world's second-biggest garment exporting nation faced disruptions to production and shipment in July and August due to deadly nationwide protests led by students over the quota system for public jobs, security concerns, and devastating floods in eastern regions.

Garment exports fell five percent year-on-year to $36 billion in fiscal year 2023-24 compared to the year prior.

Kalpona said buyers currently lack confidence although factory owners claim everything is on track. She warned that Bangladesh must avoid the "fate of Sri Lanka", which lost a lot of business during its economic meltdown in 2022.

"We need collective efforts."

She said workers are demanding higher night allowances, tiffin bills, attendance bonuses and incentives for achieving production targets. They also want factory authorities to implement a four-month maternity leave and provide light work to expecting mothers in their fifth month.

Other demands include senior officials refraining from using abusive language in factories and an end to the arbitrary termination of workers by factory authorities. Furthermore, they want due benefits to be paid as per the law if an employee resigns.

"All these demands are in the law. Workers are not asking for anything beyond that," Kalpona said.

There is a provision for a five percent increment in the labour law. However, workers are now demanding a 15-20 percent increment.

"If you consider persistent inflation, a 15 percent increment is reasonable," she said.

Kalpona added that the government hiked the minimum wage for garment workers to Tk 12,500 in November last year, up from Tk 8,000.

"But the spike in wages fell short of the workers' demands," she said.

The trade union activist said bonuses, incentives and allowances currently vary among factories from Tk 450 to Tk 800 and it should be standardised.

"We urge factory owners to sit together and formulate a plan incorporating labour demands that all factories can follow," she said.

Kalpona said one could argue that the economy is passing through a turbulent time and this is not the right moment for protests.

"However, workers' demands are logical," she maintained.

The labour leader said there was no voice for the people during the past government. So, they began placing their demands after the political changeover on August 5.

The industrial belt, particularly the Ashulia area, saw protests in the third week of August after a group of people demonstrated in front of the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (Dhaka EPZ) demanding a 70 percent quota for men.

Kalpona said there was a political element at the beginning, centring the control of the waste fabric business in the Ashulia industrial belt, which houses 1,863 factories, mostly garments.

During the past government's tenure, local Awami League (AL) leaders controlled the trade of waste fabrics, widely known as 'jhut', generated from clothing manufacturing units.

Kalpona said the crisis began after the AL's ouster on August 5 as groups affiliated with opposition parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami attempted to gain control of the business, she said.

"Workers then realised that they could raise their demands too," she said.

Kalpona said the measures taken by the labour ministry were not enough to reassure workers.

The labour ministry has formed a committee to resolve the current stalemate, but they should include a representative who genuinely represents workers, she said.

Kalpona said the government should strictly enforce labour laws and reform the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.

Sohel Parvez

The workers' demands are logical so owners should sit together to address this and restore stability to the garment industry, the country's largest export-earner, said Kalpona Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation.

This will help avert the risk of business losses, she said.

"We cannot afford to lose business. We cannot afford to lose our jobs," she said in an interview with The Daily Star against the backdrop of lingering unrest in the single biggest industry in terms of employment in the country.

The current stalemate has raised concerns about buyers shifting orders away from Bangladesh.

The world's second-biggest garment exporting nation faced disruptions to production and shipment in July and August due to deadly nationwide protests led by students over the quota system for public jobs, security concerns, and devastating floods in eastern regions.

Garment exports fell five percent year-on-year to $36 billion in fiscal year 2023-24 compared to the year prior.

Kalpona said buyers currently lack confidence although factory owners claim everything is on track. She warned that Bangladesh must avoid the "fate of Sri Lanka", which lost a lot of business during its economic meltdown in 2022.

"We need collective efforts."

She said workers are demanding higher night allowances, tiffin bills, attendance bonuses and incentives for achieving production targets. They also want factory authorities to implement a four-month maternity leave and provide light work to expecting mothers in their fifth month.

Other demands include senior officials refraining from using abusive language in factories and an end to the arbitrary termination of workers by factory authorities. Furthermore, they want due benefits to be paid as per the law if an employee resigns.

"All these demands are in the law. Workers are not asking for anything beyond that," Kalpona said.

There is a provision for a five percent increment in the labour law. However, workers are now demanding a 15-20 percent increment.

"If you consider persistent inflation, a 15 percent increment is reasonable," she said.

Kalpona added that the government hiked the minimum wage for garment workers to Tk 12,500 in November last year, up from Tk 8,000.

"But the spike in wages fell short of the workers' demands," she said.

The trade union activist said bonuses, incentives and allowances currently vary among factories from Tk 450 to Tk 800 and it should be standardised.

"We urge factory owners to sit together and formulate a plan incorporating labour demands that all factories can follow," she said.

Kalpona said one could argue that the economy is passing through a turbulent time and this is not the right moment for protests.

"However, workers' demands are logical," she maintained.

The labour leader said there was no voice for the people during the past government. So, they began placing their demands after the political changeover on August 5.

The industrial belt, particularly the Ashulia area, saw protests in the third week of August after a group of people demonstrated in front of the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (Dhaka EPZ) demanding a 70 percent quota for men.

Kalpona said there was a political element at the beginning, centring the control of the waste fabric business in the Ashulia industrial belt, which houses 1,863 factories, mostly garments.

During the past government's tenure, local Awami League (AL) leaders controlled the trade of waste fabrics, widely known as 'jhut', generated from clothing manufacturing units.

Kalpona said the crisis began after the AL's ouster on August 5 as groups affiliated with opposition parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami attempted to gain control of the business, she said.

"Workers then realised that they could raise their demands too," she said.

Kalpona said the measures taken by the labour ministry were not enough to reassure workers.

The labour ministry has formed a committee to resolve the current stalemate, but they should include a representative who genuinely represents workers, she said.

Kalpona said the government should strictly enforce labour laws and reform the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.