Dhaka: Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Saturday asked owners of readymade garments (RMG) factories to follow the new wage structure announced by the government.

‘I am urging them (the owners) to pay their workers’ wages properly. It is also the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,’ he said at a discussion organised by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on ‘Recent wage debates in the RMG sector: What is it all about?’ in the capital, reports the UNB.

Munshi said he had been involved with the RMG sector for 33 years. ‘I know [from my experience] that most of the workers are good. There are a few [workers] who create unrest in the sector,’ he said. 

‘Forcing workers to work overtime [and without pay] is not a good practice. We don’t want to see workers get axed for illogical reasons. We have to sit for talks to bridge the owners-workers gap,’ he added.

Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem presented the CPD findings on ‘Recent Wage Debates in the RMG sector: Ten Lessons Learned’.

‘Some misunderstanding over the defective pay scale may have triggered the recent workers unrest,’ he observed. ‘Issues, such as housing and increase of the daily costs, should be considered while fixing the wage structure.’

His recommendations included raising awareness among workers and owners about the pay scale, building effective communication between workers and the management, and holding more discussions with trade unions.

Noted economist Rehman Sobhan urged RMG sector stakeholders to work together for the country’s economy. ‘RMG is a principle industry of the country,’ he said. ‘New technologies should be introduced in the sector.’ 

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow of CPD, described the new wage structure as ‘satisfactory’ and suggested keeping ‘the door to dialogue’ open for workers and owners.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Md Siddiqur Rahman said it was not true that the government had increased incentives for the owners. ‘We only get cash incentives and nothing else,’ he said. 

He claimed that all 25,000 workers in his factories were ‘satisfied with the new wage structure.’ 

FBCCI President Md Shafiul Islam said they want to increase the quality of life of the workers. ‘There will be no unrest in the sector in future,’ he said.

Saifuddin Azim, owner of Classic Group, said the production cost had increased 20-22 percent. ‘We have to lay off workers for various reasons. Many workers don’t want to understand the reality. We want to continue doing business and don’t want to see any unrest in the sector,’ he said. 

Babul Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said: ‘We also don’t want to see any unrest in the RMG sector. What triggered the unrest? The workers thought their five percent increment had been scrapped.’

‘More than 30 cases have been filed and over 5,000-5,500 workers have been laid off [after the agitation]. Stop harassing the workers and withdraw all cases,’ he urged the owners.