RMG workers skeptical of annual increment:Daily Sun

 The garment workers are skeptical about getting the annual increment due in December as no visible initiative in this regard has so far been taken by the factory owners. A new wage board structure came into effect in December last year containing a provision for a pay increment every year. But the labour leaders said they don’t have any information about any initiatives taken by the managements o
f different garment factories to offer the annual increment. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Garment Manufactures & Exporters Association (BGMEA), the apex trade body in the RMG sector, instead of asking its members to give 5 percent annual increment from December, left the matter on the will of the factory owners. The factory owners usually don’t take any initiative to increase wages unless the BGMEA or the government make them do it, said the labour leaders. While the BGMEA is passing busy time in arranging the Apparel Summit due from December 7, the issue of implanting the terms of the new wage board is getting the least priority. Labour leaders said this reflects the apathy of the owners’ body to protect the interest of the workers. According to the new wage structure, the RMG workers will enjoy 5 percent increment in their basic wages every year. As the government declared the wages structure with effect from December last year, an increment is due in December this year. Sirajul Islam Rony, president of the Bangladesh National Garments Workers Employees League (BNGWEL) and a member of the Minimum Wages Board, told this correspondent “Though the annual increment is due in December, the factory owners and the BGMEA are yet to take any effort to implement it.” Expressing dissatisfaction over arranging such a costly ‘Apparel Summit’, Rony said a large sum of money is being spent on the mega summit, adding “They should pay heed to the workers’ rights first.” Reaz-Bin-Mahmud, Vice-President (Finance) of BGMEA, however, said they are not concerned about the matter as the factory owners usually offer the workers annual increment which is not less than 5 percent. But the scenario is different than the observation of the BGMEA leader. It was learnt that most of the factory owners did not pay annual increment to the workers. Many labour leaders alleged “Many factory owners did not even implement the new wage structure, let alone providing the annual increment at 5 percent.” Even the workers representatives at the wage board also claimed that many factory owners are yet to implement the newly declared pay structure for the RMG workers. Worker leaders alleged that many factory owners are yet to implement the wage structure declared by the government. Instead of implementing the wage structure, many factory owners are appointing the workers under consolidated wages, they alleged. Besides, many skilled and experienced workers are not getting promotion as the owners will have to pay them higher salary. Such deprivation is likely to lead the sector into instability, labour leaders feared.