No minimum wages in 34 industries
The government is sitting on a proposal of the minimum wage board for fixation or review of legal minimum wages for a dozen industrial sectors having several million employees.
Workers in the industries are deprived of a rightful increase in their minimum wages, even for decades, according to records of the board.
Sources in the labour ministry told New Age the minimum wage board in May submitted a list to the ministry saying that workers in at least 34 industrial sectors, having a huge number of employees and contributing substantially to the country’s economy, were yet have any legal minimum wages.
In another list, the board also informed the government that minimum wages in at least 12 industrial sectors had not been reviewed in 14 to 28 years although such a review should be done every five years.
Important industries where no legal minimum wage has as yet been set are poultry, power and hand loom, garment accessories manufacturing, ceramic, conch shell processing, jewellery, cement, electronics, publications, paper, cable, beverage, brick, cigarettes, audio-visual products, ball pen, newspaper, printing, dairy farm and cap manufacturing.
Workers in telecoms products manufacturing industry, department stores, wax manufacturing, fertiliser manufacturing, community centre services, cycle spares manufacturing, engine boat and trawlers, launch manufacturing, generator manufacturing, shop operation, photo studios, dry fish processing, bamboo and cane products, fish processing and paint manufacturing do not also have legal minimum wages.
‘After discussions with stakeholders and researches conducted, the broad has worked out 34 industries where workers are deprived of legal minimum wages,’ the board’s chairman Iktedar Ahmed said.
The minimum wage board was set up in 1959 and it has so far set or reviewed minimum wages for 43 industrial sectors.
Bangladesh is a signatory to the UN Declaration on Millennium Development Goals targeting at worker’s daily pay of at least $2.
But although labour laws stipulate the minimum wage in any sectors should be reviewed every five years but wage of at least 12 sectors have not been reviewed for 14 to 28 years where legal minimum wages remain at less than half a dollar a day or lesser.
Minimum wage for plastic industry workers was set in 1986 at Tk 521 ($7.4 a month at the present exchange rate) and rubber industry workers at Tk 550 ($7.8).
In rice mills which employ a million workers where many are females, the minimum wage was set at Tk 495 a month in 1984 and it has not been revised for 26 years.
In 1986, the minimum wage for jute press workers was set at Tk 751 and for homeopathic unit workers at Tk 750 a month. Match factory workers had their minimum wage reviewed last in 1986 at Tk 751.
Cold storage workers had their wage reviewed last in 1993 at Tk 1,680 and aluminium industry workers at Tk 1,320, shoe factory workers at Tk 1,385 and tannery industry workers at Tk 1,500 in 1994.
Inland water transport industrial undertaking workers had their minimum wage reviewed last in 1993 at Tk 1,680.
‘Lack of responsibility among the stakeholders, including labour organisations, has delayed timely review of minimum wages,’ said Iktedar. ‘The board has been helpless regarding review of minimum wages in the absence of worker-centric trade unionism and for lack of sincerity of the government, stakeholders and people’s representatives. And the workers continue to be at the mercy of employers.’
He said board could not form any wage review commission unilaterally unless the government would refers the matter to the board and labour organisations and other stakeholders would need to pressure the government to do so.
Ikteder in his two years’ tenure has, however, coordinated the fixation or review of minimum wages in 16 industrial sectors, including apparel industries.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said it is inhumane of the state not to set legal minimum wages in sectors employing several millions workers.
In its election manifesto, the Awami League promised elimination of gender bias in wages, setting national minimum wage and formation of a permanent wage board.
Creation of scopes for wage employment in industries and establishment of worker’s right to trade unionism in keeping with the International Labour Organisation convention were promised.
Politicians, elite prefer to keep workers subservient: Abul Bashar
Workers need to continue with their struggle against the ruling class, led by politicians who hold an elitist attitude and always prefer to keep workers subservient to them, said labour leader Abul Bashar.
He said the workers, directly involved in production in mills, had never seen increase in their wages although the salaries of the managerial and clerical staff had been increased with the announcement of national pay scales.
National pay scales were announced at regular intervals as high officials in the government also benefit the pay scales, Bashar said in an interview with New Age on Sunday.
The officials have always been obstructive to the announcement of national wages for workers, in general, and jute mill workers, in particular, who were always treated as slaves, he said.
Bashar, now president of the Jatiya Sramik Federation of Bangladesh, an associate body of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, played a leading role in struggles against almost all governments in six decades to protect worker’s rights.
Bashar, also a member on the Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad steering committee, believes SKOP could not protect worker’s rights as most of the labour leaders felt the need for subservience to political parties as they preferred to remain well-off at the cost of worker’s rights.
Robust increase in RMG shipments to 10 new markets
The fiscal year 2009-10 was a critical period for Bangladeshi garment exporters who suffered from the impacts of global recession, struggling to sustain in their major and traditional markets where imports declined or did not grow.
But interestingly, several new markets that opened up in that critical period raised hopes to local exporters, industry analysts said.
A robust increase in shipments to these new these markets helped this major export earning sector to retain at least a small growth in the last fiscal year.
The latest report of the Export Promotion Bureau showed that garment shipments, in terms of value, declined or saw insignificant growths over the year in the major traditional markets.
Shipments to USA, the number one market for Bangladeshi apparels, declined by 1.6 per cent to $3.63 billion and shipments to Germany amounted $2 billion with minus 5.6 per cent growth.
But shipments to UK increased by only 3 per cent to $1.26 billion, France 1.8 per cent to $970 million and to Canada shipments amounted $596 million with only 1.5 per cent growth.
Shipments to Italy amounted worth $541 million with only 3.4 per cent growth but shipments to Spain saw minus 4.6 per cent growth and amounted worth $521 million.
Declined or insignificant growth of exports to major markets mainly pulled down the overall growth in garment export earnings to a disappointing 1.5 per cent in the last fiscal year.
Garment export earnings, which ensure nearly four-fifths of the country’s entire export proceeds, had been recorded at 11 per cent and 16 per cent growths respectively in the previous two fiscal years.
Industry watchers now say that garment shipment growth in 2009-10 fiscal could have been definitely minus if shipments to some new markets could not be ensured.
The EPB report shows that Bangladesh garment exports to Turkey increased by 28 per cent in the year to $306 million, to Japan 134 per cent to $174 million and to Australia shipment increased by 84 per cent to $85 million.
According to South African official statistics, Bangladesh garment shipments to that country amounted worth $48 million in 2009 calendar year, up nearly five per cent from 2008 and more than double the shipment in 2007.
Garment shipments to China and Hong Kong increased by 41 per cent to $45 million, Brazil 15 per cent to $45 million, Saudi Arabia 29 per cent to $22 million, South Korea 306 per cent to $22 million, India 18 per cent to 13 million, New Zealand 263 per cent to $10.5 million and garment shipments to Taiwan doubled in the year to $ 5 million.
According to EPB records, there had been very insignificant presence of Bangladeshi garments in those new markets even three to five years back.
‘At least 10 new markets including Turkey, Japan and Brazil are making us much hopeful as growth in shipments there is very high,’ said BGMEA president, Abdul Salam Murshedy.
Murshedy said exporters were quite serious now to explore new markets. ‘Although volume of shipments still remains very tiny there, compared with our traditional markets, local exporters have been welcoming the buyers from the new markets, even showing flexibility in supplying their smaller orders,’ he said.
Mostafizur Rahman, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said the local exporters became serious to explore new markets after they started facing troubles in traditional big markets like USA and EU during the recession.
Anwarul Alam Chowdhury Parvez, chairman of leading export house Evince Group, said importers from new markets became interested to make deals with Bangladeshi suppliers in recent times.
‘Japanese are thinking to reduce their dependence on China and Turkey is looking for cheaper souring destinations as rising cost of garment production in their country put their brands and apparel exporters into difficulty… Many such external factors are helping Bangladesh,’ Parvez said.
Both Rahman and Parvez foresee that Bangladesh garment sector would find a huge export markets in the next few years if the industry can keep up confidence of the importers.
Ultfa-left leader killed in RAB ‘encounter’
An ultra-left outfit leader was killed in an ‘encounter’ with the Rapid Action Battalion at Baghmara in Rajshahi early Wednesday.
Wednesday’s incident took to 210 the total number of people killed in incidents such as ‘crossfire’, ‘encounter’ or ‘gunfight’ after January 6, 2009 when the Awami League-led government assumed office.
The Awami League in its election manifesto pledged ‘an end to such extrajudicial killing.’
Fifty-five people have so far been killed since the High Court on December 14, 2009 asked the authorities not to kill any more people in ‘crossfire’ or ‘encounter’ until it hears a rule it issued suo moto on the government in connection with extrajudicial killings.
The deceased, Elahi Bakhs Mithu, 34, was a regional commander of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (ML-Red Flag), the battalion said.
The battalion said one of its teams raided a house at Goalkandi in the upazila about 3:00am where Elahi and his associates were holding a meeting.
As the law enforcers approached, the operatives fired into the battalion team, which fired back, triggering a ‘gunfight.’
The law enforcers found Elahi lying dead one the ground when his associates got away at one point during the gunfight, the battalion said.
The battalion also seized foreign-made pistol, four bullets and three sharp weapons from the place.
Police official sued by wife for dowry, second marriage
A sub inspector of police was sued by his wife on Wednesday for demanding dowry and second marriage without her permission while court issued arrest warrant against the accused.
Nasrin Akter, a resident of Lutfa Vila in Muslim Para area of the city and complainant of the case alleged that Sub Inspector Mir Kashem of Bameswarpur under Noakhali district had married her on August 19, 1994 with Tk 1, 00,001 mohrana as per Muslim family law.
Then SI Mir Kashem collected more Tk 7 lakhs from the family of Nasrin in different times and at last time demanded Tk 5 lakhs more as dowry, she alleged.
She further alleged that Kashem also tortured her both physically and mentally and threatened to give her divorce.
Citing newspaper reports, Nasrin alleged that Mir Kasim got second marriage with Sub Inspector Khomo Shoye of Rakhain tribe who was serving at Bandarban police station.
Mir Kashem, he acknowledged his second marriage and gave life threat to Nasrin, asking her to abstain from taking any legal action against him.
Then Nasrin complained to inspector general of police on August 8, 2010 claiming action against SI Mir Kashem, but did not get any response.
Altaf Hossain, chief judicial magistrate of Barisal, accepting the allegation ordered to issue arrest warrant against SI Mir Kashem.
Phulbari Day today
The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports will observe Phulbari Day today.
The police this day in 2006 fired into residents rallying against open-pit mining at Phulbari in Dinajpur. Three were killed.
The committee organised the rally in protest at the then BNP-led alliance government’s plan for coal extraction from the Phulbari mine in an open-pit method by multinational company Asia Energy.
Open-pit mining will create a huge loss of wealth, natural resources and make a huge number of people living in the mining area homeless.
On August 30, the BNP-led alliance government signed a six-point agreement to calm the movement.
The points included expulsion of the Asia Energy from Bangladesh, cancellation of the plan for open-pit mining and punishment of the people responsible for the killing at Phulbari.
The committee’s convener Sheikh Muhammd Shaheedullah and member secretary Anu Muhammd in a statement expressed their concerns about non-implementation of the agreement by the Awami League-led government although it has been in office for two years.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, then the leader of opposition in parliament, went to Phulbari and said her party, if voted to power, would implement the agreement.
They called on the people to observe August 26 as Phulbari Day and the government to observe the occasion as a national day. The committee has also taken up programmes to observe August 26, when the firing took place, and August 30, when the agreement was signed.
The committee will place a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka in the morning on August 26 and hold a rally at Phulbari in Dinajpur at noon which the national committee leaders will attend. The committee units will also place wreaths at shaheed minars across the country.
They will also hold programmes to observe August 30 as agreement signing day.
Furnace blows up at steel mill
1 killed, 15 badly injured in melting iron; work safety missing
Left, A crater made by an explosion of a furnace at a steel factory. Top, Molten steel all around in the factory. Photo: Rashed ShumonStaff Correspondent Explosion of a furnace at a steel factory in the city left one dead and 15 workers seriously injured yesterday reminding the horrible lack of workers' safety in this sector.
Eight of the workers of Hasan Steel Mill at Kadamtoli were admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital with severe burn injuries sustained by melted iron. Four of them are in critical condition.
About 20,000 workers in over 100 steel factories in the country work in very unsafe conditions mostly without any protective gear and under almost non-existent government monitoring.
The deceased was identified as Billal, 26, said Officer-in-Charge Kazi Aiyubur Rahman of Kadamtoli Police Station. He claimed the factory authorities tried to hide the body of the victim and police recovered it in the evening.
The body of the deceased was sent to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue.
The factory owners could not be contacted for comments and the secretary of the Bangladesh Steel Mills Owners' Association did not pick up his telephone.
Those admitted to DMCH yesterday were identified as Assistant Manager Ataur Rahman, 40, Manager Madan Mohan, 50, labourers Farhad, 22, Raju, 27, Ripon, 38, Fahad, 30, Ahidul, 30, and Abdur Rob, 30.
Locals and the injured said the furnace melting iron exploded around 10:30am. "The furnace of the re-rolling mill exploded with a big bang and the melted iron sprayed around causing the injuries," said Madan Mohan.
The workers were exposed to the melted metal as they did not have any heat-tolerant or protective gear.
OC Kazi Aiyubur Rahman said the cause of the explosion is yet to be known.
In 2008, as many as 1,768 workers were reported killed and over 2,000 injured in accidents at work in different industries, says a newspaper survey.
Centre for Corporate Accountability Bangladesh and some other non-government organisations jointly conducted the study.
In 2000, the International Labour Office estimated that each year 11,700 workers die in Bangladesh in work-related accidents. In 2005, it also estimated that another 28,600 die from diseases caused by the industries they work in and 8.9 million suffer from work-related injuries.
With large number of casualties every year, successive governments just enacted laws but never monitored whether those were implemented.
There is nobody to inspect electric furnaces of steel mills, said steel mill owners.
When asked about any safety inspections, Sheikh Fazlur Rahman, owner of Bikrampur Stell Mills in the city, said, "No factory inspector visits our factory."
"But officials from electric supply authorities sometimes visit our mills as we use electricity," he added.
There are only four inspectors in the boiler inspection office, under the industries ministry, to inspect nearly 6,000 boilers of sugar mills, textile and washing plants, cement factories, hotels and hospitals, said sources in the office.
The office has only 13 general factory inspectors in three categories--general, safety (engineering) and medical--for more than 15,000 factories, including about 5,000 garment factories in Dhaka and Narayanganj.
The Daily Star in 1998 reported that most steel and re-rolling mill industry workers wrap pieces of old vehicle tyres, cloths and plastic sheets to protect themselves from the heat and melted metal.
