The country’s trade bodies of the apparel sector on Friday decided to keep the production in all readymade garment (RMG) factories closed on Saturday and Sunday for, what they said, ensuring proper treatment and completion of rescue operation successfully.“We’ve decided to keep all factories under BGMEA and BKMEA closed on Saturday and Sunday across the country,” BGMEA President M Atiqul Islam told a crowded press conference at its conference room in the evening.
He said that the owner of Rana Plaza, Sohel Rana, and owners of the RMG factories housed in the building, would soon surrender showing respect to law. “BGMEA never supports injustice and BGMEA will extend all-out cooperation in this regard.”
The BGMEA President also said that within the next three months, the engineers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) would inspect the structural design of all the buildings where factories under the BGMEA and BKMEA are housed.
Atiqul Islam said they would arrange payment of salaries and dues of all the workers of the five affected RMG factories by the first week of May.
He also assured that the BGMEA and BKMEA would make arrangements for
improved treatment for the injured workers and would compensate the victims
properly.
The BGMEA and BKMEA leaders thanked all including Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, opposition leader Khaleda Zia, members of the army, police, RAB,
BGB, Fire Service and others engaged in rescue operation.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) jointly
arranged the press conference to update media on their decisions.
BKMEA President AKM Selim Osman, former BGMEA president Annisul Huq, former
FBCCI President AK Azad, and other leaders of the BKMEA and BGMEA were
present.
Earlier, the leaders of the trade bodies held meeting to take the decision
amid fresh unrest in the garment industry and demonstrations by the garment
workers.
Meanwhile, eight organisations of the garment workers today (Friday) called
for a daylong strike on Sunday in all RMG factories across the country in
support of their seven-point demand, including the arrest of Rana Plaza
owner Sohel Rahna and owners of the garment factories housed in the
building.
Prior to work abstention, the organisations working for garment workers’
rights will hold black flag processions across the country on Saturday
apart from observing a dawn-to-dusk strike on the day.
The announcement came from a joint press briefing at Pragati Conference
Center, Mukti Bhaban in the city.
The organisations are Garments Sramik Oikya Forum; Garments Sramik Trade
Union Kendra; and Garments Sramik Sangram Parishad comprising Bangladesh
Textiles Garment Workers Federation, Garments Sramik Sanghati, Jago
Bangladesh Garments Sramik Federation, Samannita Garments Sramik
Federation, Bangladesh Garments Sramik Mukti Andolon and Biplabi Graments
Sramik Sanghati.
So far, 304 bodies have been recovered from the debris of the building that
crashed on Wednesday morning.UNB
