The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Several hundred workers of Nasa Garments yesterday staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the BGMEA Office in the city to press home their nine-point demands, including Eid bonus, enhanced Iftar and tiffin allowances.

They also strongly protested the sudden closure of the Nasa Garments without paying the dues of the workers.

As the Nasa Group authorities declined to accept the workers' demands, some 3,600 workers have become unemployed following the closure of the factories.

The workers alleged that the owners had been trying to evade their responsibilities terming their movement a "conspiracy."

"But, subsequently they (owners) would not be able to get any benefits terming our movement a conspiracy and ignoring our demands as we have been trying to realise our just demands…It would be suicidal for the owners. All their ill-motivated efforts will go in vain,' said a worker of Nasa Group.

Some 500 workers of Nasa Garments started to arrive at the BGMEA Office at Karwan Bazar in the city from early in the morning yesterday. Police intercepted the workers at Satrastha Crossing when they started to come from the Nasa Group Complex at Begunbari in Tejgaon Industrial Area. Ignoring the police interception, the workers started to assemble in front of the BGMEA Office.

When the BGMEA's joint secretary (Labour) Rafiqul Islam, along with crisis management official Mansur Khaled and additional secretary (Admn) RH Ramiz approached the agitating workers to talk to them at about 9:00am, the workers handed over them a nine-point memorandum.

The BGMEA officials told the workers to send their representatives to the BGMEA Office to hold talks with the owners. However, the workers declined to send any representative. Rather, they told the officials to bring the owners' representative and hold talks on the road.

The nine-point demands submited by the workers included payment of 50 per cent of the basic salary as festival bonuses on two Eids, re-fixing the Iftar allowance at Tk 20, tiffin allowance at Tk 10, enhancement of night duty bill and quality bill, and payment for the leave not enjoyed by workers according to the labour laws.

Besides, the workers demanded 10 days of casual leave, 14 days of sick leave, 13 days of festival leave and eight weeks of maternity leave before and after the delivery.

On behalf of the BGMEA, Rafiqul Islam said no solution could be achieved on streets. "The workers must have to come to the discussion table to realize their demands," he said.

As none representing the owners' did appear in front of the workers till 1:00pm, the workers became angry and tried to enter the BGMEA Office forcibly. However, police prevented them from entering the BGMEA Office.

Later, at about 1:30pm, a 24-member delegation of workers entered the BGMEA Office to discuss their demands with the owners' representatives, while the others blockaded the road in front of the BGMEA building.

The representative of the Nasa Group owners went to the BGMEA Office at about 2:30pm. However, they could not sit for talks till 3:00 pm.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Garment Workers' Unity Council yesterday said that a vested quarter was pushing the country's ready-made apparel industry to ruination. As a result, the entire garment industry would face collapse in one hand and 25 lakh workers would face serious uncertainty.

Addressing a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium, Mohammad Touhidur Rahman, leader of the council and president of Bangladesh Garment Industry Workers Federation, called upon the government to take stern action against the garment factory owners who have been violating the labour laws in the garment factories.

Besides, he urged the government to find out the persons responsible for creating anarchy in the readymade garment industry and take necessary measures for their exemplary punishment

The workers' leaders atending the press conference also felt the necessity to identify the culprits who instigated the workers of Nasa Group to create anarchy and chaos in the garment sector.

However, they observed that it would not be possible to bring an end to the resentment of workers unless the problems of working atmosphere is addressed properly. It requires to build up amicable relationship between the owners and workers.

The leaders also observed that some vested quarters were hatching a conspiracy to destroy the country's booming garment industry for the interest of neighbouring countries. As a result, Bangladesh might subsequently lose its lucrative apparel markets to its competitors for ever.

The labour leaders atended the press conference included Bangladesh Swadhin Garment Workers Federation president Advocate Delwar Hossain Khan, Bangladesh Jatiya Garment Sramik president Sirajul Islam Rony, Sanmilito Garment Sramik Federation president Nazma Aktar, Bangladesh Garment Sramik Jote convenor Rokeya Sultana Anju and Jatiya Garment Sramik League president Selim Reza, among others.

It may be mentioned that hundreds of garment workers on Saturday locked in violent clashes with police at Tejgaon Industrial Area, one of the country's biggest industrial zones, demanding immediate payment of outstanding dues of five to six months, Eid festival bonus and other facilities, including raising Iftar allowance.

More than 50 people, including four police personnel were injured during the clashes.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association described garment workers unrest as a "conspiracy" and demanded a fair investigation into the yesterday's incidents.

The angry workers also blockaded the Mohakhali-Tejgaon Road, damaged a large number of vehicles and set fire to a bus to press home their six-point demands.

It may be mentioned that Tejgaon is home to some of Bangladesh's

top garment factories. Ready-made garments are Bangladesh's biggest export earners with sales abroad fetching more than nine billion dollars, or three-quarters of the country's total export earnings, in the last fiscal year.

But the industry has been hit by a series of protests over low wages and poor working conditions. Sixteen factories were torched and hundreds vandalised last year.

The protests came to a halt late in 2006 when the government, unions and the employers agreed to 25 US dollar monthly minimum wage.

The government has issued several warnings to the factories to implement the minimum wage but according to the unions just 20 percent have done so.

In the latest warning, the government has said it will take legal action against factories that fail to implement the minimum wage by September 30.

The manufacturers claim 90 per cent of the factories have put the minimum wage into effect