BGMEA President Faruque Hassan on Sunday (November 12, 2023) said the owners of the RMG units can keep their factories closed under the law to protect industry and property until the vandalism is stopped and law enforcement agencies are able to ensure adequate security. “Every entrepreneur has a constitutional right to protect his own industry and properties from outsiders,” he told a media briefing at BGMEA office at Uttara. The BGMEA chief repeated  that for the sake of the country and the industry, to protect the employment of the worker siblings, if the working brothers and sisters do not work in any factory, leave the factory without working, vandalize the factory, then the factory authorities can keep the factory closed under section 13 (1) of the Labor Act. Garment workers’ protest: 130 factories in Ashulia, Savar, Dhamrai closed Faruque said as there is currently less work in many factories in the garment sector, buyers have stopped placing new orders; they have asked to stop new recruitment. “New appointments will be made when the situation improves,” said the BGMEA president. Faruque urged the government of Bangladesh to identify those who are plotting against this industry and take action. RMG worker injured in clash with law enforcers dies at DMCH “Also give us adequate security to run industries. Politics and economics complement each other. Remittance earning from the expatriates is experiencing a slowdown at the moment. In this situation, the garment industry, one of the main sectors of export earnings, deserves special attention,” he said. The government on Tuesday announced Tk 12,500 as minimum wage for entry level RMG workers, raising it by 56.25% from the existing one. State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian announced the new wage structure for RMG workers which will be effective from December 1. RMG workers unions have rejected the offer and instead asked for an increase of nearly Tk 23,000 a  month. Many workers resorted to street protests clashing with police and vandalizing factories. Owners have announced indefinite shutdown of over 130 factories mainly in Gazipur and Ashulia areas. Govt announces Tk 12,500 as minimum salary for RMG workers The unrest for higher wage has left one female worker dead in police firing, dozens injured and arrested. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Industrial Police Md Zakir Hossain Khan on Saturday said they smell a rat behind the unrest in the readymade garment (RMG) industry in Gazipur. "The government has already announced wages and our notion is that a group is instigating them [RMG workers] to do movement. We are identifying those who are provoking them [demonstrating workers]," he said. Police use tear gas shells as RMG workers protest in Gazipur

A total of 48 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) platoons have been deployed in Dhaka and adjacent areas to ensure security in garment factories. BGB troops have been deployed in Ashulia, Savar, Mirpur, Gazipur and other parts of the country, said, Sharuiful Islam, public relations officer at BGB headquarters. Read: 228 BGB platoons deployed to beef up security across the country amid BNP-Jamaat's 48hr blockade Garment factory workers in Dhaka and nearby areas returned to work on Sunday after 12 days of unrest for a minimum wage of Tk 23,000. The government on Tuesday announced Tk 12,500 as minimum salary for entry level readymade garment (RMG) factory workers, raising it by 56.25 percent from the current wage. Read: 48hr blockade: 27 BGB platoons deployed in Dhaka, adjoining districts 

Police have arrested a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader who allegedly led vandalism and arson attacks on garment factories and other establishments in Gazipur.The arrestee was identified as Ripon Hossain, joint convener of Kaliakoir upazila unit of Chhatra Dal.A press briefing on the development was held at Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office earlier today (November 07, 2023). Read: Case filed against 85 BNP leaders, activists over bus burnt in Khulna's RupshaGazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Mahbub Alam said that after going over footage and photos, it was found that several garment factories in Shafipur and Konabari of the district were set on fire and vandalised under Ripon Hossain’s leadership.“Under his leadership, attempts were made to create an unstable environment by committing these crimes to implement the party's agenda in the name of demanding wage hikes for garment workers,” the Gazipur police commissioner said. Read: US says it takes any violence leading up to election in Bangladesh ‘incredibly seriously’A police team arrested Ripon from Dhaka's Hazaribagh area yesterday.The Chhatra Dal leader will be sent to court and police will appeal for 10 days' remand for more details, the police official added.

There are some 1.7 million child workers in the country, and 1.2 million of them are engaged in hazardous work. State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnuzan Sufian said this in Parliament responding to a tabled question from Awami League MP Habib Hasan. She said that according to a 2013 survey of the Bureau of Statistics the number of child workers in the country is 1.7 million. Read more: Zakat Fund Management Bill passed in JS She also said that as per the survey in 2003, the number of child workers was 3.4 million. In response to another question of AL MP Abul Kalam Azad, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumdar said that at present there is no food shortage in the country. In the last fiscal year, 391.30 lakh metric tonnes of food grains including 380.48 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 10.82 lakh metric tons of wheat were produced. The minister also claimed that there is no danger of food shortage in the country even in the current financial year. Read more: Finance Minister places names of top 20 loan defaulters in JS In response to another question from AL MP M Abdul Latif, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said that currently 183 garment factories in Bangladesh have been recognised as green factories from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

Bangladesh has strengthened its position as the global leader in green apparel factories, as the country now has 180 such factories with the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification (certificate for green factories). Two more Bangladeshi garment factories have achieved green building certification from the USGBC in the gold category in December, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The green certified factories are Dresden Textiles Ltd of Mymensingh with point 68 out of 110 and Victoria Intimates Ltd of Dhaka with 62 points. Read more: Two new RMG factories under BGMEA now green certified Bangladesh has achieved 27 green building certification in 2022, including 13 in platinum category which is the highest in a year,  so far. Of the total 180 green-certified factories, 58 are platinum-rated, 108 gold-rated, 10 silver-rated and four are only certified. Besides, some 550 are also in the pipeline to get the USGBC’s LEED certification. Read more: Bangladesh now has 176 green garment factories – highest in the world USGBC honours factories based on several criteria – transformation performance, energy, water, and waste management. The best performers are rated with platinum, followed by gold and silver.

Most of the readymade garment factories and other industries resumed production on Saturday after weeklong Eid vacation. The workers and technicians have joined their work and the remaining workers will join within the next few days, said Rubaet Ahmed, owner of a garment factory in Ashulia. Talking with UNB on Saturday he said, “We announced Eid Vacation on April 27 and scheduled to join on Saturday, so that the workers and other employees can share Eid joys with their family members.” He said many garments’ owners have announced Eid vacation for 10 to 15 days. “Production of almost all the factories has started as the leave ends on Saturday, Work will start in all the factories in the next 2-3 days,” he added. Fazle Shamim Ehsan, senior vice-president of BKMEA, an association of knitwear factory owners, said that the work has started in most of the garment factories from Saturday after the Eid holiday. “Some factories gave workers a little more leave as needed. They will start opening the factories from tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he said. Also Read: Govt offices reopen in Bangladesh He said that since the inception of the garment industry in the country, the workers have got the most leave this Eid. He said that the factories which were under pressure of shipment have already reopened. And the ones with less pressure will open after another two-three days. Anwar Hossain, a worker at Denim Expert Limited, said that he had a good Eid holiday with his parents. “I have started work today (Saturday). This time there was no problem in getting leave or Eid journey on the highways,” he added. Meanwhile, workers are returning to Dhaka, Gazipur, Ashulia, Savar and Narayanganj by bus, launch and train as well as trucks from different parts of the country to join the workplace after the Eid holidays.    

Dhaka, Apr 24 (UNB) - The 8th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, the worst-ever tragedy in the country’s multi-billion-dollar ready-made garment (RMG) industry, is being observed on Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic. This year, there will be no outdoor programmes to recall the victims due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Read Why Rana Plaza owner’s bail shouldn’t be stayed, asks HC Different right bodies, worker organisations and left-leaning political parties, including Rana Plaza Survivors’ Association, usually arrange various programmes every year, remembering the tragedy. On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others. According to the survey conducted by ActionAid Bangladesh, the physical health condition of 14 percent of survivors is getting worse. Also read: 57pc Rana Plaza survivors remain unemployed: Survey Among them, 58.5 percent are more or less stable, and 27.5 percent are completely stable. Most of the 14 percent survivors reported that they are still bearing a headache, pain in hand and leg and back pain. In terms of psychosocial health, 12.5 percent are still in trauma in comparison to 10.5 percent survivors last year. Currently, 62 percent reported that they are more or less stable, and 25.5 percent have recovered fully compared to 21 percent last year. A total of 4.5 percent more survivors have improved their mental health than last year. Also read: HC issues rule on why Rana Plaza owner should not get bail These findings were disclosed in a virtual dialogue titled ‘COVID-19: Challenges for the Rana Plaza Tragedy Survivors’ on April 22 organised by ActionAid Bangladesh in memory of the 8th year of Rana Plaza tragedy. The survey was conducted among 200 survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse.

 International Day of Rural Women serves as a reminder that a sustainable future is not possible without the involvement and upliftment of the fairer sex in the society. But like their counterparts in many other countries, women in Bangladesh too are bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout of Covid-19.