Job cut threat a trick of RMG owners to obtain additional benefits: politicians, rights groups
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Politicians and various workers’ rights groups on Saturday protested against the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association president’s risk of job cut of staff in the readymade garment sector.
They alleged that the threat was only the RMG owners’ usual trick to create an opportunity to bargain with the federal government for getting more advantages from the state amid the COVID-19 crisis.
They made the allegation in separate protests and statements in the background of the BGMEA president Rubana Huq’s Thursday comment that RMG personnel might lose jobs for lack of order.
They alleged that the owners received government’s COVID-19 incentives after assuring it that they might not sack any personnel but, in reality, these were sacking workers even without paying them their dues.
They alleged that the owners, amid the coronavirus outbreak, compelled the staff to become listed on their workplaces threatening job loss.
Though the personnel were working amid risks, they were losing jobs when found infected.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Saturday BGMEA said that the BGMEA president’s Thursday comment had not been an announcement of job cut in the sector nonetheless it was her concern and fear about the diminishing employment opportunity in the sector.
The statement claimed that the sector witnessed a negative growth by 14 % in the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year.
In addition, it added that buying order of over $3 billion was cancelled since March as the international market was reduced due to the impact of COVID-19 and the factories have been continuing with their production at 55 % capacity on an average since June.
It claimed that a total of 348 BGMEA member factories were shut previously two months as a result of COVID-19 situation and feared that the remaining 1926 factories might face closure or will be compelled to continue production with significantly less than normal capacity if the situation continued.
Communist Party of Bangladesh president Mujahidul Islam Selim and general secretary Mohammad Shah Alam in a joint statement termed the BGMEA president’s threat as ‘seriously audacious’ and ‘a provocation’ and warned that the results of workers’ job cut would be dreadful.
‘The garments owners are pressuring the federal government before budged to get some good fresh benefits,’ they alleged.
Leaders of Garments Workers’ Trade Union Centre, addressing a rally before National Press Club in the capital protesting against workers’ job cut, torturers at the workplaces, alleged that the owners had enjoyed COVID-19 incentives and now using the threat of job cut as a weapon for strengthening their capacity to bargain with the federal government.
GTUC president Montu Ghosh presided over the rally that was accompanied by a procession.
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad in a statement said that the BGMEA president’s announcement of workers’ job cut was unjust and illogical while they took government incentives assuring that there will be no job cut.
Krishok Sramik Mukti Andolon convener M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan, joint convener Md Manzur Hossain Isa and coordinator Md Mohsin Bhuiyan in a statement alleged that the BGMEA president’s comment was a naked manifestation of the true character of the owners’ class which is that of usurpers and plunderers.
Source: https://www.newagebd.net
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