|
|
Change Your Life! |
Sweater factory shut down in DEPZ |
|
News |
May
5, 2000 Dhaka,
May 4 (UNB)- The troubled foreign firm, Ring Shine Textile Limited, shut
down their sweater factory in the DEPZ sine die following Wednesday’s
fierce clash that left at least two people dead and scores of others
injured. As
tensions mounted in the area with protesters’ bid to stage
demonstrations today (Thursday) police were reinforced and BDR troops
called out to maintain peace in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone at Savar,
30 km off the city, which houses 46 export-oriented companies employing
some 33,700 workers. Other
units are functioning as usual, officials of BEPZA that looks after EPZ
affairs, told UNB briefing on the situation in the Singapore-Malaysia
apparel company. Law
enforcers this morning dispersed a procession of angry workers chanting
slogans against the company’s management and “brutal action” of the
administration. DEPZ
sources said labour-management conflict had been continuing in the Ring
Shine company for the last few weeks, resulting in termination of 33
workers late last month. “BEPZA
was aware of the developments, but hoped the conflict would come to an
automatic end as twenty-one of the retrenched workers had already received
their termination benefits,” said one official. But
the conflict took a violent turn Wednesday as the sacked workers, backed
by outsiders, waged a militant protest, prompting police to teargas and
fire, leaving at least two dead and many injured. Bangladesh
Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) formed a three-member inquiry
committee headed by DEPZ general manager Syed Nafizuddin Ahmed to
investigate the incident. Earlier,
the government constituted a one-man probe committee with ADM of Dhaka
Moinuddin Abdullah. The committee has been asked to submit its report
within a week. BEPZA,
supervised directly by the Prime Minister’s Office, submitted a report
over yesterday’s incident and follow-ups to the PM Secretariat today. Labour
association was allowed in early ‘80s when EPZs started functioning, but
later restricted following a massive unrest in Chittagong EPZs. EPZ
workers enjoy much better facilities than that in industries outside the
exclusive economic zones, a BEPZA official said. Apart from its
investment-promotion activities, BEPZA also cares for labour interests. “Our
IR (industries relations) division listens to workers’ objections, if
any, and settles the disputes amicably through negotiations,” BEPZA
general manager (investment promotion) Kamal Akhter told reporters at the
BEPZA office this afternoon, citing some previous cases.
An
apprentice worker gets US$ 22 monthly during six-month training period,
while unskilled worker gets US$ 38, semi-skilled $45 and skilled $63.
BEPZA takes care if there is any dispute regarding the wage frame, made
exclusively for EPZs. Worker wages are much lower in factories outside
EPZs, he pointed out. He
regretted the workers of Ring Shine company even did not consult them
before going for violent protests Wednesday. “If they would come there could be a solution otherwise.”
|