The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

FBCCI president Annisul Huq yesterday admitted that low wages and high commodity price is creating labour unrest leading to damage of readymade garment factories across the country.

"We cannot deny the genuine cause of labour unrest, the low wages. We are thinking to raise wages," the president of the apex trade body, also a garment factory owner told newsmen at a press briefing urging the government to provide security of their business establishments.

He said, " Strong message from the government can easily stop such labour unrest. A government can give full security to industry if it wants to."

Expressing concern over their factory security and also their own security the industry entrepreneurs in a meeting at the FBCCI board room said they have been facing security threats as several factories came under workers' attack.

The FBCCI president said, "If they (workers) have any complains, they can ask the factory management for its solution."

BGMEA president Anwarul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), BKMEA president Fazlul Haque, former BGMEA presidents, ICCB president Mahbubur Rahman, eminent industrialist Syed Manzur Elahi, MCCI president

Latifur Rahman and representatives from other industries were present at the briefing.

Some 147 RMG factories came under attack since January this year, including 22 this month, the press briefing informed.

"Even some highly-rated factories in terms of working conditions and wage payment came under attack," Annisul Huq said, expressing concern over the unrest in the largest export-earning sector.

"The wages may be a reason, but the entrepreneurs do not think that it's the main reason behind the attack," he said.

BGMEA president Anwarul Alam Chowdhury Parvez supplemented the FBCCI president that over 99 per cent factories by now comply with minimum wages as per the tripartite agreement reached in 2006. Of course, few factories do no have the capacity to comply with.

BKMEA president Fazlul Haque added that the motive of the factory attack still remains unknown to the factory owners. He said the administration should identify the problems.

"The entrepreneurs are not responsible for price hike," Annisul Huq said adding that the entrepreneurs too have been struggling to tackle problems like frequent power outages and disruption in gas supply at the cost of their profit margin. "We're not in a comfortable situation either."

The entrepreneurs will meet the Chief Adviser, in a day or two to discuss the question of security of their factories, Annisul Huq informed newsmen.