THE ultimatum of the RMG factory owners of Ghazipur, to close down all RMG factories in that area unless adequate security was provided to them by September 25, is surprising. But this is reflective of the state of desperation they are in, with the situation going out of their control. To say the least, the owners' response is least expected, come as it does from the captains of this industry. It amounts to an attitude of chopping off one's head to cure the headache.
Having said that we hasten to add that nobody can fail to see some of the reasons that have caused the factory owners to react in the way they have. The last several months have seen the sector in a simmer a large number of garment factories were subjected to vandalism that have resulted in losses running up to hundreds of crores of taka, not to speak of the loss due to cancelled orders.
It might not be farfetched to suggest that there may be elements that are out to subvert a highly potential export sector of the country. However, what the concerned persons, including the owners, have failed to notice is that had there not been the seething workers' discontent due to genuine grievances, the situation could not have been exploited by the vested quarters.
Thus, all concerned must address the real issue germane to the problem. And the most important of them is the matter of pay and benefits of the employees, in spite of the contention of the BGMEA president that many of the factories that have been vandalised are the ones that are 'compliant' factories. Given the spiralling prices of essential commodities the pay scale fixed in 2006 fall far short in real value terms today to meet the basic needs of the workers. Sale of some basic essential during the month of Ramadan by certain segment of the garment industry is indeed laudable, but this is on a limited scale and is at best a temporary palliative. A durable plan must be worked out to ensure that the garment employees are able to subsist reasonably well, which they are barely able to do now.
Some of the points in the eight-point charter of the owners are very relevant to the smooth functioning of the industry, which the government should consider. No doubt adequate security must be ensured to prevent the factories being subjected to violence. But one wonders whether deploying industrial police as suggested will alone radically improve the situation. There is a need to take a re-look at the state of owner-worker relationship, which regrettably has assumed an adversarial character. It is much better to make the workers feel that they have a stake in the factory. That is a way to ensure their participation in the safety and wellbeing of the factory.