Tale of two compliant factories

Workers pass a busy day at a factory of Iris Fabrics in Savar. The company is a recipient of BKMEA’s labour compliance award. Photo: Amran hossain

Faruk Hossain, a garment worker at Iris Fabrics, an export-oriented garment factory at Zirani in Savar, feels excitement on the seventh of any month as he receives his salary on this specific date.
Hossain is happy with such regularity in payment, which he thinks is a sine qua non to smooth operation of a factory. This ultimately averts any labour unrest stemming mainly from workers' grievances.
“I haven't experience any deferred payment after I joined here 26 months back,” the line quality controller told this correspondent, who visited the factory that has gained excellence in workers-management relations.
Iris Fabrics, established in 2005, is the factory where Hossain has set in, leaving his previous three jobs, mainly because of the low and irregular payments. Also, misbehaviour of the bosses in his former workplaces prompted him to quit.
Hossain also pointed to the unique example set by his present organisation in maintaining compliances.
Iris' care for worker welfare is an imitable matter that won the BKMEA award on May Day.
The knitwear sector's trade body also honoured nine other factories for their labour-friendly policies.
Like Hossain, his colleague Shamim Sheikh has all the praises for Iris Fabrics.
"Here I can lodge my complaints and demands, as top bosses try to show respect to our demands,” Sheikh points out.
He also made another point that the factory was never faced with labour unrest, except an incident that was created due to misunderstanding in 2008.
In September of that year, the factory was forced to suspend its operations by pressure some aggrieved workers put on the management for early payment of festival bonus as Eid was then only two or three days away.
Medical facilities for workers and regular promotion system have also contributed a lot in developing a healthy workers-owners relationship, Shamim Sheikh said.
When asked, Managing Director of Iris Group Rasheed Alam said he has a strong cell in human resources (HR) department for dealing with workers.
"One of our directors looks after workers' day-to-day problems. Any worker can approach him to get their problems addressed, " he said.
While speaking about the latest labour unrest in the garment sector, he said one of the main reasons of such unrest is delayed payment.
In his factory he pays to the workers within the seventh of any month and in case of Friday or any other holiday their salaries are paid a day ahead of the date, Alam said.
Deputy Managing Director MA Mazed said on receipt of a survey team reports, the factory staffers are provided with different financial benefits and medical treatment.
"Our doctors go even to workers' residences to provide medical facilities. However, the workers' dependants, or family members, are also entitled to these benefits,” he said.
David Hasanat, chairman and managing director of Viyellatex Group, also the BKMEA awardee, also points to the labour-friendly measures he had taken. He said he pays 20 percent extra to the minimum wage set by the government and shares 5 percent of profit with workers. Besides, workers in his group's factories get free lunches and enjoy a provident fund where money is deposited from the owners' side.
Hasanat further said his group provides some added medical facilities like free ultrasonogram for the female workers during their pregnancy. These females are also entitled to maternity leaves.
"There is a good arrangement for lodging complaints by the workers. I take immediate action to mitigate their grievances. Most probably I did not face labour unrest in my factory as a sense of belonging among workers has grown up for good corporate policies," he said.
Eight other factories that received awards from Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association are Aboni Knitwear, Interstoff Apparels, Grameen Knitwear, Ragadi Textile, Knit Concern, Fakir Apparels, Four H Lingerie and Benetex Industries.
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