The discontent of factory workers and unemployment are increasing day by day due to shut down of factories, one after one. The helpless workers are also getting involved in outlaw activities like vandalizing the factories, arson and other crimes. According to the concerned people of this sector, the scope of employment must be increased by resuming the operations of the factories as the new investments are not coming due to current instability. The situation will be worse if the factories in operation are shut down. The government has to take the responsibility of the unemployed workers. The workers should be provided with ration service.
According to the relevant sources, many businessmen are running short of keeping their existence in the competition as the production cost is increased due to workers’ discontent, high interest rate of loans, lack of LCs according to the demand of importing raw materials, fuel crisis, price hike of gas, lack of uninterrupted power supply and increase in labor wages.
Many entrepreneurs have closed factories because they could not pay their workers' wages and allowances. According to the businessmen, due to all these reasons, 140 factories have been closed in the last one year, making 94,000 workers unemployed. Recently, 38,000 workers have been laid off from 16 garment factories of the Beximco Group. In total, 134,000 workers have lost their jobs in 155 closed factories.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said that 76 garment factories belonging to its members have closed in one year, making 51,000 workers unemployed. More than 150 factories were unable to pay their salaries. The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has reported the closure of more than 50 factories. This has left 35,000 workers unemployed.
8,000 workers have lost their jobs as 14 large factories of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) have completely closed. Meanwhile, employees and workers of 16 factories in Beximco Industrial Park began protesting on the Chandra-Nabinagar Highway in Kashimpur of Gazipur city, from the afternoon of January 22, demanding the reopening of the closed factories. At one stage, the workers broke the gate of Grameen Fabrics and Fashions and set it on fire.
A source in the Gazipur city police said that the workers set fire to a few vehicles including buses, trucks, and covered vans. They vandalized the windows of 15 to 20 vehicles. Meanwhile, unemployed workers of the closed factories are getting involved in various crimes due to lack of works. Owners of several garment factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj said that their workers had been involved in various types of thefts, robberies, and robberies over the past few months. After being detained by the police, they gave sensational information during interrogation. It has been found that many of the detainees are laid-off workers of the closed garment factories.
In this regard, labor and women's rights leader Taslima Akhtar Lima, on Thursday, told The Bangladesh Pratidin, "The government must take responsibility for the workers of closed factories. Workers of factories that have not paid their salaries and allowances should be given work opportunities elsewhere instead of being blacklisted. Those factories that have intentionally closed factories without paying their dues should be reopened immediately. The government must supervise this matter. If factories are closed, the dues must be paid according to the labor law."
Associate professor of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Dhaka University and social and crime expert Dr. Touhidul Haque told The Bangladesh Pratidin on Thursday, "After August 5, a large portion of the workers of various factories that have closed operations due to workers’ dissatisfaction, strike or other reasons are remain unemployed. When the earning person of the family does not have an income, they look for work. If they have saved money, they use it to pay for expenses. When all other options are closed, they get involved in various crimes. To survive in this state of life, they turn to crime. The government should quickly list the unemployed workers and provide them with low-cost or free food.”
In this regard, Labor Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman told The Bangladesh Pratidin, "We are working on how to provide employment to unemployed workers. Discussions are underway with representatives of other industrial sectors, including BGMEA."
(Trasnlated by Lutful Hoque)
