Tremendous labour of hundreds of thousands of workers, management work of officials and finance and initiative of owners have brought big fortune to the readymade garment industry. The management of garment industry are well paid. Bangladesh is earning more than $10 billion per annum from garment export in recent years. The figure was increasing every year in the near past. Indeed the major part of the earning went to foreign countries against import of inputs for the industry. The net foreign currency earning is also satisfactory.
The significant fact is the generation of huge employment of virtually illiterate population. The owners are yet to recognise the real contributions of the workers. They are still underpaid. The summer and rainy season are knocking the doors in Bangladesh. Thousands of female garment workers walking in the rain will be a common scene on the streets at
Dhaka, Chittagong and Saver, the
garment hubs. It is not acceptable that a worker cannot afford an
umbrella to save her from rain just for the want of an umbrella. The owners of garment factories need to sympathise with their workers and provide one umbrella to each worker every year. It will not cost too much but ensure attendance. It would have positive impact on production as well.
Mohammad Ashraf Hossain
Ramna, Dhaka