According to the BGMEA letter, “From now on, it is mandatory for every garment factory to display a banner at its entrance gate bearing the words ‘No recruitment’
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has given a directive to halt all forms of recruitment across the country’s garment factories following a meeting on Thursday.
The decision was taken during a coordination meeting organised to discuss the overall situation of the sector following the Covid-19 pandemic, war related economic crisis, ongoing workers protest and other issues.
The meeting held at the BGMEA headquarters was chaired by BGMEA President Faruque Hassan and details of the decisions were later conveyed to member garment owners through an official letter.
According to the BGMEA letter, “From now on, it is mandatory for every garment factory to display a banner at its entrance gate bearing the words ‘No recruitment’.”
The letter further reads, “In instances where factories have experienced incidents of fire, theft, or violence, they are required to file a case at the nearby police station. This should include supporting evidence such as photos and video footage. If the identities of the accused individuals are unknown, they may be listed as unknown assailants.”
A copy of the case must be forwarded to the senior additional secretary of BGMEA after its filing.
For factories where workers refrain from working, leave the premises or go beyond limits, the owners are instructed to adhere to Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Act, which mandates the closure of such garment factories, which means no work, no pay.
The meeting was attended by former BGMEA President and Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md Atiqul Islam, former BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy, and Senior Vice President and Director of BGMEA SM Mannan (Kochi), among others.
There have been ongoing protests by RMG workers in parts of the country following the announcement of the new minimum wage on 7 November.
The Minimum Wage Board for the readymade garments sector finalised the increase of RMG workers’ minimum wage to Tk12,500 from Tk8,000, an increase of 56% on Tuesday (8 November).
RMG workers rejected this decision and demanded reforming the Minimum Wage Board to increase their salary further.
The garments sector — the jewel in Bangladesh’s export crown, with exports reaching over $46.99 billion in the fiscal year 2023 — was ravaged by protests in recent weeks centring a hike in the minimum wage.
On 30 October, at least two people were killed and about 40 injured in massive clashes between police and ready-made garment workers in several industrial areas in Ashulia, Savar, and Gazipur.
Following the weeklong clashes, the factory owners on 1 November agreed to pay higher minimum wages to garment workers than Tk10,400, which they proposed earlier.
