JS body rejects BGMEA plea to up labourers' working hour
MPs bash BGMEA as most owners do not pay minimum wage to workers
BDNEWS, Dhaka
Parliamentary standing committee on labour and employment ministry yesterday turned down a proposal of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to increase weekly working hour for workers to 72 hours from 48 hours. However, the standing committee formed a sub-committee headed by lawmaker Ali Newaz Mahmood Khaiyam to prepare a report on the working environment of labourers in the garments factories. The parliamentary body also bashed BGMEA as most of the owners do not pay the minimum wage of Tk 930 a month to workers. Chairman of the standing committee Mosharraf Hossain Mongu presided over the meeting where Awami League's Shajahan Khan came down heavily on BGMEA for the attitude of the owners towards the workers, meeting sources said. He said without ensuring a healthy environment for labourers in the garment industry, the owners are demanding to enhance working hours. "The garment factories are death-traps, which claimed innumerable lives. Without solving the problems, it is unethical to extend the working hours," he told the meeting.
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