From: SIUHIN@aol.com
Date: Sun Sep 29 2002 - 01:41:23 EDT
Alert! Bangladesh Garment Workers Need Your Support!
Date: 9/28/02 11:11:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: ngwf@aitlbd.net (Amin)
Hi everyone:
I recently received a urgent e-mail from Amin from the General Secretary of
National Garments Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh, asking us to
support their ongoing garment workers struggles. It''s little known in U.S.
but Bangladesh is one of the garment factory for the World, their working
condistions are no doubt close to sweatshops, and any of their products are
ship to major US retailers.
Just few days ago, one of a supliers of K-mart , close down its factory. 335
workers jobless. Management do not provide any compensation.Even 2 months
salary and 3 months overtime payments are outstanding.
They are asking our moral and political supports!
Lee Siu Hin
ActionLA
From: ngwf@aitlbd.net (Amin)
Please be inform that, after an aggrement with the BGMEA ( Bangladesh
garments Manufacturers And Exporters Association) they have suspended their
STRIKE of 1st september.
We know very well unless presure , this aggrement will not be implement.
So we are taking preparation to start campaign for the implementation of
recent aggrement.
I am including 3 mails- those were sent previously. From these , you will
find : overal sisuation, our demands and aggrement.
1) GARMENT WORKERS COUNTRY-WIDE STRIKE ON 1St
SEPTEMBER,2002.
In Bangladesh,garment workers will observe country
wide Strike in whole garment sector on 1st September,2002. This strike
called by the Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity Council (BGWUC). BGWUC is
an umbrella organisation of 6 garment workers federations including the
National Garments Workers Federation (NGWF ). NGWF is the initiator of
the BGWUC.
In Bangladesh, the total number of garment factories are 3300. The number
of garments workers are : 16,00000. 80% are women worker.Garment is the
biggest industrial sector of Bangladesh and it earns the highest foreign
money.
But till now garment workers are inhuman condition.In 1994 government
declared minimum wage was Tk.930/ per month. It was equvalant to $ 23.25
, on that time and now it is equvalant to $ 16 . In this 8 years there is
no new wage structure though acconding to law it should revise every 2
years. Even till now workers receiving minimum wage tk 800($14) per
month.
Many cases workers work 14 to 16 hours per day and 7 days in a week.The
workers donot have the appointment letter/contact letter and service
book. Management do not allow the trade union right and activities though
according to the law it have.There is no gratuity or provident fund or
social security fund.Working condition and factory envernment is very
bad.Health and safety condition is very poor.BGMEA ( Bangladesh Garments
manufacturers And Exporters Association ) had signed MOU with BGWUC in
1997 and 2000. But these are not implemented .In this condition the BGWUC
have called strike on the basis of 6 points charter of demands.
============================================================
2) Six-Point Charter of Demands
1. Wages and Other Financial Benefits:
a. Determining and providing garment workers and employees wages on the
basis of grade. The minimum basic wage will be Tk 1,800/- and grading
will be on the basis of seniority, experience and status.
b. Providing 35 percent of the basic wage as house rent, Tk 150/
transport allowance, Tk 200/- medical allowance and Tk 100/- laundry
allowance.
c. Introduction of Provident fund which will comprise 10 percent of basic
wage of the workers-employees and equal contribution by the
authorities.
d. Giving gratuity equivalent to two-month basic wages for every one year
work.
e. Providing Eid bonuses ahead of the two Eids. The amount of the bonus
will be equivalent to two- month basic wage.
f. Compensating a worker killed in a fire incident by Tk 200000/ and for
an injured by Tk 50,000/-.
g. Compensation a worker died in the workplace or on way to and from the
workplace by the amount of 36-month basic wage.
h. Compensating a worker injured or hurt in the workplace as per laws.
i. Introducing group insurance for workers and employees by the money
given by the authorities.
j. Providing overtime which will be double that the original wage.
k. Ten percent of the total profit will have to be given to the
workers-employees as profit allowance.
l. Determining Tk 1,000/- as apprentice allowance. The apprentice period
will have to be limited within three months.
2. Health and Security:
Making affective the clauses 20, 22 and 34 of the Factory Act-1965 to
ensure health and security of the workers.
3. Boosting Garment Industry:
a. Expanding international market.
b. Ensuring duty-free entry of Bangladesh's readymade garments s to other
countries including the U.S. market
c. Taking appropriate steps for developing quality and productivity of
readymade garments and productivity.
d. Taking necessary steps to face the challenge of year 2005 Free
market.
4. Trade Union Rights:
a. Ensuring Trade union rights of all garment workers, including in the
EPZs.
b. Stopping corruption in Register of Trade Unions and Factory inspection
offices and ensuring transparency and accountability of the two
offices.
c. Scrapping anti-labor interest clause 19 (Ka) of labor Law, Public
Safety Act and Special Powers Act.
d. Introducing democratic labor law.
5. Garment Industrial Zones:
a. Introducing separate industrial zones for garment industry.
b. Building colonies for workers in the industrial zones.
c. Making arrangements for hospitals, educational institutions and
recreation centers in the industrial zones.
6. Implementing the agreements signed by the BGMEA on November 29. 1997
and September 10, 2000:
a. Providing all workers-employees with appointment letters, identity
cards, service books and wage slips.
b. Paying wage and other allowances within seven days of the next
month.
c. Ensuring weekly holidays.
d. Giving women workers 12-week maternity leave with wages and
introducing Daycare centers.
e. Giving identity cards for one year for all workers-employees.
f. Stopping works by female workers at nighttime.
=============================================================
3) 9 POINTS AGGREMENT
These 9 points are:
1.labour law implementation
a. BGMEA will take necessary steps for the providing of appointment
letter and identity card for those factories workers - where management
yet not provided .
b.Weekly holiday and maternity holiday will be implement in those
factories from 30th september,2002-those factories yet not implemented
these.
c. BGMEA will take necessary steps for the monthly payment and overtime
payment of the workers within 7-10 of the next month-those factories are
not paying in this time.
2. health and safety
To ensure the workers health and safety, section 20,22 and 34 (
concerning health & safety ) of factories act 1965 will be implement in
those factories - where yet not implemented.
3. Trade Union
workers will be allow to form trade union in the factories.In absence of
union, Perticipation committee may form.BGMEA will agree the decission of
the govt about the formation of Trade union in E.P.Z,s.
4. Service benifit
a. Workers will enjoy service benefit( gratuity)according to law.
b.Workers will get festival bonuses according to the convention.
c.Workers will allow to enjoy the accident leave.
d. BGMEa will encourage all garment owners to start provident fund for
the workers.
5. BGMEA will take necessary steps for the separate garment industrial
zones.
6.BGMEA will take necessary steps( jointly with govt,bgmea,workers) to
face the global chalenges of the garment industries.
7.BGMEA will write to the govt to form minimum wage board within 3 months
to fixation of garment workers wages.After fixation of new wages, BGMEA
will implement it.
8. BGMEA will form a arbitration committee in Chitagong(2nd biggest
garment area) to resolve the workers grivances as like as dhaka.
9.A Agrrement Implementation Monitoring Committee will be set up
immedietly with the equal participation of BGMEA and BGWUC.( in this
committee a director of bgmea will be the chief )
In solidarity
Amirul Haque Amin
General Secretary, NGWF
Coordinator, BGWUC
Mailing: GPO Box 864, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Phone: 88 019 340268.
Fax : 88 02 966853.
E-mail :ngwf@aitlbd.
*To Translate this page to Arabic, please visit ajeeb.com:
http://tarjim.ajeeb.com/ajeeb/default.asp?lang=1
*To Translate this page to French, Spanish, German, Italian or Portuguese,
please visit Systran:
http://www.systransoft.com/
Lee Siu Hin
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon Oct 28 2002 - 02:52:34 EST