Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the garment workers to join work by shunning the violent acts in the name of wage hike.
“I would like to tell the apparel sector workers to go to work and boost production,” the prime minister said.
“Otherwise, they will have to return home with empty hand by loosing the job due to their excessiveness and if the factories are closed and orders are cancelled or go to other countries,” she said.
Hasina said this while addressing as the chief guest at a function arranged on the occasion of handing over of the National Export Trophy 2010-11 at Osmani Memorial Hall here this morning.
Commerce Minister GM Quader, Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed and FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed also spoke at the function, while Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau Shubhashis Bose delivered the welcome address.
The prime minister said the workers should realise the situation in the greater interest of the sector.
This time is very crucial for the garment sector as X-mas is knocking the door, she said.
“We will have to catch the market of the X-mas. If we fail to do that, the buyer would not give any order,” she said.
She said it would affect the country’s entire garment industry including four million workers. “I don’t know whether the pockets of some labour leaders would be heavier or not, but I can surely say that the workers will be worst losers,” she said.
Pointing out the government’s initiatives to increase the wages for the RMG workers in the last four years, she said that the wages have been increased twice during the period.
“When we assumed office in 2009, the minimum wages for the RMG workers was Tk 1600 only. At that time, we took initiative to increase it and made it Tk 3000,” she said.
In this connection, she said that the RMG owners were not ready to pay the increased wages and she forced them to do so. “I worked as the bargaining agent for the workers. The owners agreed to pay enhanced wages, but instead they took several facilities from the government,” she said.
The prime minister said this time, she again forced the RMG owners to pay the minimum wages as Tk 5300 as the wage commission fixed it.
Stressing the need for building a cordial relation between the owners and the workers, she asked the owners to introduce counseling for the workers that would bring a good result for all.
Hasina said the readymade garment sector will have to be protected as life and livelihood of 40 lakh rural workers are dependent on it.
“Not only the country’s economy, life and livelihood of 40 lakh rural workers are also dependent on it,” she said.
The prime minister said the country’s apparel sector has climbed to second place in the world thanks to hard labour of the public and private sector.
“We could take the country’s economy to a new height with the united efforts of the public and private sectors,” she said.
Hasina said the Awami League government has been taking necessary initiatives for expansion of trade and commerce.
“I always say the businessmen will do business, while the responsibility of the government is to provide assistance to them. We have been doing this work for the last five years,” she said.
Hasina said the entrepreneurs of Bangladesh are labourious and talented. “You have already proved your capability of sustaining in the competition with entrepreneurs of any country,” she said.
The prime minister said her government has been able to maintain the positive trend of socioeconomic indexes for the last five years with united efforts of all.
“It might have better had the opposition not created disorder by enforcing illogical hartal,” she said.
Despite that, she said, the government has been able to maintain over 6 percent GDP growth. The foreign currency reserve has crossed 17 billion US dollars, he added.
Hasina said per capita income rose to US $1044 from US $630 in 2008. “As many as five crore poor people have been elevated to middle class,” she said, adding Bangladesh won the South South Award for its success in poverty reduction.
The prime minister said her government has undertaken the trade liberalisation policy for expanding the trade and commerce in the country.
She said a five-year (2011-15) import-export policy has been framed, while various strategies have been hammered out for raising export.
Hasina said the country’s average annual export has raised at a rate of 16 percent by facing various negative situation including the global economic recession and reduction of demand in the developed world market.
She said Bangladesh’s export surged to 27.03 billion US dollars from $ 15.57 billion due to united efforts of all.
Later, the prime minister distributed National Export Trophy for 2010-11 among 47 enterprises in recognition to their contribution to the country’s export and trade.
Of the trophies, 20 enterprises got gold medals, 15 bagged silver and 11 got bronze, while another gold trophy went to the highest export earner.
Source: The Daily Star
