The New Nation - Internet Edition

At least 50 workers were injured on Tuesday as the workers of Diganta Sweater were locked in clash with workers of other factories in the area for their refusal to join vandalism. Garment workers went on rampage and damaged at least 20 garment factories at Naujor here following the rumour of the death of three employees in a factory. The agitated workers blockaded the Dhaka-Tangail and the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highways, disrupting the movement of traffic on the roads. This created a serious traffic jam in the area. They also ransacked some vehicles plying on the roads.

The incident took place hardly a day after garment owners sought security of their factories from the government, and is one of the recent workers' agitations that swept over the industrial hubs of Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur and Narayanganj. Rumours spread by unidentified outsiders instigated such violence at frequent intervals. Knowledgeable quarters do not rule out the involvement of saboteurs that are out to destabilise this viable and blue chip industrial sector.

Individual entrepreneurs do not really privately own the garment factories in that 80-90 percent of the industry is based on bank loans that come from small savers' deposits. The factories thus are practically public properties. Collapse of RMG sector will have serious negative implications on the national economy and create serious unemployment problems. Every violent movement is thus a serious blow to public interests.

The RMG sector is one of the most vital to the national economy. According to BGMEA sources, there are about five thousand factories where nearly 25 lakh workers are employed out of which some eighty percent are women. RMG sector absorbs a significant part of the total investment. The sector accounts for more than 75 percent of the export earnings that totalled US$10.7 billion in the past financial year.

The workers have the right to bargain and even call strike over their legitimate demands. But they or their unions have neither the right to resort to violence and cause damage to the factories where they earn their livelihood from, nor the right to attack their owners.

The Ministry of Labour with the labour directorate under it should have seen to it that workers do not go berserk time and again and cause damage to the vital lifeline of the economy. The police are supposed not only to tackle violence but also to prevent such incidents. The business community should find ways of nipping labour problems in the bud.

According to one report, the authorities feared labour unrest in the apparel sector due to irregular or delayed payment of wages, and some owners' failure to pay ifter and festival allowances during the holy month of Ramzan. Against this backdrop, the authorities concerned may probably seriously examine the question of setting up industrial police which will have the specialisation not only to stop violence but also to prevent those at budding stages.

If the government departments and other agencies fail to establish discipline in the sector, they will have to justify their existence.