Exploitations of industrial workers are not new in our country, it is been happening for decades.
Guided by the lust of more profitability the owners of the industries exploit their workers by giving less wages, deny overtime payments, deprive them of bonuses and even no payment of salaries, Finding no other alternative to realize their payments and demands the workers in many occasions in the past strike their industries, demonstrated in the factory premises and on the streets.
In most of the cases they were resisted brutally by the hired goons or law enforcing agencies in which hundreds workers were injured some, died even.
Exploitation of garment workers by the factory owners is the continuation of the process in which garment workers are paid the lowest wages in the world.
The work shift per day is twelve hours a day instead of eight as recognized by ILO, in many garments-factories overtime payment is not allowed, even monthly salaries are not paid in time.
Safety arrangements in many factories are almost absent due to which many workers had to die during fire breakout.
In a number of such incidents inquiry committee were formed to investigate into the root cause or to find out the solution.
Still, the process of violence, exploitations, demonstrations and attacks on the workers continue.
Despite tripartite agreement between the government, factory owners and workers that provides for appointment letters, regular payment of wages and overtime by the first week of every month, maternity leave among other things, these factories also do not abide by the minimum wages as decided upon a commission, ignoring the decision of the commission clearly indicates the arrogance of owners and their powerful connection, to manipulate.
With their art and evil capability they could with held the payment of workers for months.
The recent garment workers unrest at Uttara (in Dhaka) resulted from no payment of wages to the workers for three months.
When the workers took to the streets demanding payments of their wages they were brutally handled by the members of law enforcing agencies in which hundreds of workers were injured and one female worker died.
The police have lodged cases against hundreds of garment workers while the factory owners remain untouched despite violating the agreement.
The garment industries of Bangladesh remain the lifeline of the country in terms of employment providing and earning of foreign exchange for the country.
The sector flourished on the strong foundation of availability of easily trainable hard working cheap labour force in plenty.
The factory owners took the advantage of this, they employed them with less than one thousand take a a month salary denying almost all other benefits.
Twelve-hour shift was in practice in almost all garment factories defying the international code of eight hours a day shift.
Since most of the workers are uneducated and female they were ignorant about the labor laws and their rights.
The owners in most of the factories did not issue any appointment letters to their workers.
So, despite working for months and years they remained outsides in the factories officially and thus were deprived of all benefits and rights as factory workers.
Taking the advantages of workers' poverty and ignorance the owners forced them to work in unsafe and unhealthy work place overcrowded with workers beyond capacity of the factory floor and improper ventilation.
In almost all factories musclemen were deployed to check any movement by the workers to realize their legitimate demand.
Whenever in the past the workers raised their voice for payment of their overdue salaries, payment for overtime or demanded festive-bonus, they were assaulted by the musclemen in the factory and were threatened with dire-consequence.
The workers were stopped at the entrance and were not allowed in.
When they asked for their salaries, they were refused to be recognized as the factory workers as they had no appointment letters issued by the factory management.
Because of the carelessness of the factory management and for their arrogance factory doors used to be kept locked for security reason defying act.
So, when fire breakout in certain garment factories located on the upper floors of Multistoried buildings, the workers were trapped in the building as the exits were locked.
Many workers had to die due to such incidents and hundreds were injured.
Yet with their power and connections the owners succeeded in locating their garment factories at the upper floors of Multistoried buildings.
Since the garment workers have come from poorer section of the population they have no other place to go or to switch over to any other profession, they kept the garment industries operative with their sweat and blood.
Despite so many fire incidents in the Multistoried garment factories they still work risking their lives to keep the industry running.
Defying heavy rain, flood and scorching heat the garment workers attend their duties regularly to maintain the production schedule and export shipments in time.
In many occasions these workers have to work extra hours beyond the twelve-hour shift to ascertain the timely shipment, yet they do not get the payment in time.
And when they demand payments, they are paid with abuses and physical torture and many more by a section of factory owners.
Though the garment workers in many occasions have been denied of appoint-letters and were not recognised as the registered workers, were projected to the importing countries as the main contributor to the sector to get extra benefit in terms of quota and free access.
They claim that any adverse effect on garment sector of the country will turn most of female garment workers into sex workers.
So, for the humanity sake extra consideration should be given to the Bangladesh garment products considering the interest of the female garment workers.
Such lobbying has been done in many occasions in the past and still continuing.
Association of the factory owners in the past succeeded in managing different concessions for the garment sector of Bangladesh which were enjoyed by them keeping the workers away as the result of which the factory owners and exporters become richer from rich while the workers from poorer.
The salary the garment workers get at the end of the month is the lowest in comparison with same of any other country of the world.
With this income they cannot provide the requisite food and shelter to the family members, education and medical support are almost luxury for them.
Inspire of working for the whole month when they are denied timely and full payment, they turn furious and damage properties.
Instead of taking brutal action on the garment workers the authorities concerned should take effective measures to ensure the timely payment of the workers in full.
The authorities concerned should also take action to abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement formulated by the commission, both the parties to ensure peace and productivity in the garment sector of the country.
Manipulations and exploitations of all sorts must come to an end.
Any action, which may disturb the working environment of the sector, should not be allowed to occur, even if occurs accidentally or by any chance should be settled fast by the authorities and parties concerned before transforming into violence.