Wage Board Should Have Been Formed Earlier, Naznin Ahmed Says on Garment Sector Unrest

Dr Naznin Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), has said a wage board should have been formed earlier and the pay structure set through discussions among owners, workers and the government, in order to avoid worker discontent and instability in the ready-made garment sector.

The CPD executive director made the remarks on Friday (13 November) as chief guest at a shadow parliament organised by Debate for Democracy at the FDC in the capital, on what should be done to remove instability in the garment sector.

Dr Naznin Ahmed said workers' protection cannot be ensured by raising wages alone. Alongside fair wages, a safe working environment in factories, workers' rights, maternity leave and good behaviour must also be ensured.

In setting wages, she said, the price situation, workers' cost of living and the owners' capacity must all be taken into consideration.

Dr Naznin Ahmed said any instability reduces the confidence of foreign buyers. If factories already closed because of worker discontent cannot deliver taken orders on time, their long-term relationships with buyers may deteriorate. Fair wages and a good working environment cannot in any way be ensured by creating violence, she added.

She also said that if any side is fuelling the unstable situation, all parties concerned — owners and workers, law enforcement agencies and the government — must tackle it through a coordinated initiative.

In his speech as chair, Debate for Democracy chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said that although the situation has calmed somewhat after protests, clashes, road blockades and vandalism by garment workers pressing five-point demands including a wage increase, stability has not yet returned. In this situation Bangladesh's image in the international market is being damaged, he said, and the risk of losing foreign buyers' confidence is rising, which could affect exports.

Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said that if the instability continues, the garment sector will face tough challenges. Alongside a logical pay structure, a safe working environment and social protection are essential for stability in the sector, he said, describing the government's plan to build a 100-bed hospital in each of six industrial areas to ensure workers' healthcare as a highly positive and worker-friendly step.

He said whether the workers' ongoing movement is spontaneous is a question now occupying the government, law enforcement agencies and everyone concerned. Allegations have been raised that a third party is fuelling the movement to create sabotage and instability. Whether anyone is trying to create sabotage disguised as workers to gain political advantage must be observed closely, he said, adding that any such attempt should be suppressed with a firm hand.

In the shadow parliament, titled 'Ensuring a safe working environment and social protection is more important for garment sector stability than raising wages', Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) won, defeating Dhaka College. The judges were Dr S. M. Morshed, journalist Abul Kashem, journalist Hosain Shahadat, journalist Md. Atikur Rahman and BIDS research fellow Kashfi Rayan. Trophies, crests and certificates were handed to the participating teams at the end of the competition.