Improvement imperative for sustainability of industry

"Significant progress is being made to improve workplace conditions and strengthen workers' rights as a result of changes made to labour laws in Bangladesh bolstered by a sharp rise in the number of unions registering in 2013 within the ready-made garment sector."

Fardaus Mobarok

WORKPLACE conditions have improved over the last one year since the Rana Plaza collapse although further improvement is needed for sustainability of the garment industry, labour leaders and workers said.

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Dalia Sikder, a sewing machine operator at Natural Apparels Ltd in Rampura, said now all exits remain unlocked when the factory remains in operation. "Earlier, some gates remained locked while others blocked with cartoons."

Extinguishers at the factory are now updated, she said.

"Fire drills are also taking place almost regularly and workers are provided with fire training with the help of firemen from the Fire Service and Civil Defence."

Heavy machinery work day and night to remove rubble of collapsed Rana Plaza. Photo: Star

All these happened due to the pressure from the union, noted Dalia, also unit chief of trade union at the factory.

She said she got her unit registered following the deadliest industrial disaster of the country.

According to her, fire drill, fire training and other safety measures are taking place almost on regular basis in the factories where trade unions are active.

"But, the safety measures are either absent or irregular at factories without trade unions."

Firemen and volunteers climb up ladders to rescue victims from the collapsed nine-storey building. Photo: Star

Daily Star Online received similar versions from several other workers and trade union leaders.

Md Sagar, of Weeny Apparels Ltd; Salma Akter, of Dress and Dressmatic; and Md Reaz, of Lyric Industry Pvt Ltd, who give leadership to the trade unions at their respective factories, complained of harassment and obstructions by the management.

"I have been attacked in different times by miscreants and deprived of various facilities for giving leadership," Dalia said, adding that her salary is deducted if she remains absent from work for attending workers’ rights programmes.

Md Sagar, who has been working with Weeny Apparels Ltd as a sewing machine operator for the last five years, said, "Physical assault and hurling abusive words at workers by the factory officials were a regular matter. Now physical torture has stopped although hurling of abusive words is going on as usual."

Fire drills or training is very much irregular in their factory, he said.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) also observed improvement in the workplace conditions following the amendment to the labour law.

"Working conditions and workers’ rights issues are receiving high priority in Bangladesh; The responses by the government, the RMG industry, and workers’ organisations to recent tragedies in Bangladesh RMG sector are cause for measured optimism," Srinivas Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh, at a programme in February.

Sagar, also trade union vice-president of the factory unit, highlighted obstructions from the management to their union registered.

"The management sent our factory into vacation when the inspection was dated for registration of the union."

A rescuer rushes to medical help with a victim on his back. Photo: Star

"Following the formation of the trade union, we have been able to stop some bad practice at the factory. Our normal duty was eight ours. But now we brought down it to six hours," he added.[gallery]

Some garment owners denied the allegations. "Some incidents may happen as most of the labour leaders and managers are unaware of their rights and limitations. We have launched training for mid-level managers so that they know the law and deal with the leaders accordingly," said Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

He said 146 trade unions got registration in the last one year against only 38 in the previous eight years.

Trapped under tons of concrete and steel, a victim seeks help. He eventually died at the same place two days later. Photo: Star

Trade union leaders expressed their dissatisfaction with the government and the BGMEA for not taking timely, sufficient steps to make the workplaces safe.

"Instead of taking proper measures to make the workplaces safer, both the government and the BGMEA spent most of their times to get back GSP and save the unfit factories," said Babul Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation.

"Constructing new buildings for moving factories from the unfit buildings is time-consuming, but the government and BGMEA could have taken appropriate measures to fix the fire and electric measures at every factory by the last year."

When international buyers put pressure on the garment manufacturers, the government tried to save the unfit factories, he pointed out.

It was the duty of the government to identify the risky factory buildings and move the units to safe buildings, he insisted.

Babul Akhter pointed out that the BGMEA itself did not try to identify risky garment factories. "Rather it took different ill attempts to save such factories."

A year on, and all that remains of the nine storey building is rubble and mangled steel. Photo: Star

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam rejected the allegations, saying: "Inspection at garment factories are taking place in full swing and the measures are being taken to make the workplace safe."

Fire safety involves a number of stakeholders, said Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

"The government is taking some measures and the BGMEA is also carrying out inspection. Accord and Alliance are also taking a number of steps. So, I think there has to be more coordination with regard to fire safety, building safety and electrical safety of the enterprises," he added.

"There are discontents that it could have been done an in a bit faster manner, and I agree with that. For example, the government has initiated the recruitment of inspectors. This process can be expedited further. The directorate has been designated into department and they have been more power, but it is the enforcement of those which is very important. So, good governance in this regard has to be enforced."