Commerce Minister Lt Col (Retd) Faruk Khan yesterday said the government is planning to set up a labour court in Ashulia, where garment industries have grown, to restore law and order and ensure punishment to the culprits involved in hatching conspiracy against the country's most vital sector.

"The conspirators, who want to create unrest in the garment industries by launching arson attack, will be detected soon. And later they will be brought to book. To ensure security and smooth functioning of the industries, a labour court will be set up in the RMG industry zone in Ashulia some 30 kilometres off the capital," the Commerce Minister said while addressing a function organised by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its auditorium in the city.

Lt Col (Retd) Faruk Khan said, against the backdrop of global economic recession, our garment industries have exported 12 per cent more products than the previous year. "Around 30-35 lakh people are now working in this sector. The workers must be made to understand it is very tough for an industry owner to get an order from abroad. If there is no order, no employment will be created." "It's now clear that it's a planned conspiracy to stall the country's industrial sector and to divert bulk volumes of foreign orders ahead of winter season," he said while addressing the function.

State Minister for Labour Begum Monnujan Sufian spoke as special guest at the function, hosted by the BGMEA to hand over cheques to the family members of victims and give stipend to brilliant sons and daughters of garment workers. BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy presided. BGMEA Vice-President Faruk Hossain also addressed it.

He urged the industry owners to open up channels of communication between the workers and mid-level management to restore peace and stability in the RMG sector. "The mid-level management officials can play a vital role in removing the misunderstanding between the workers and management," Faruk said. "It is fact that a true worker is never engaged in vandalism as he loves his factory from where he earns his livelihood.

The conspirators, who do not want to see progress in the RMG sector, always try to encourage the workers to become involved in destruction," he said. "As part of implementing its electoral pledge, the government will soon introduce rationing system for the workers," he assured.

In the function it was informed that the BGMEA deposited Tk 1000 crore as life insurance of the garment workers. BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy called upon the government to identify the culprits involved in arson attack on garment industries and take step to prevent such untoward incident in future.

"Please provide us adequate security for the smooth running of our industries. When we are facing serious difficulties in running our factories, the conspirators are trying to destroy us economically. If this trend continues, it would not be possible for us to retain our hold in the international market," he said.

He said, BGMEA helps to drive trade by increasing sales of Bangladeshi-produced garment and pursues excellence in the Bangladeshi readymade garment (RMG) sector through its activities and programmes, including establishing and nurturing relationships with foreign buyers, businesses and trade associations, organisations, chambers, and research organisations.

The BGMEA also acts as a pressure group to protect the interests of the RMG sector and acts as a facilitator of trade negotiations with global trade bodies such as the WTO, ILO, and UNCTAD, he added. The function was arranged to hand over group insurance cheques to families of dead workers, scholarships and educational materials to workers' meritorious children, performance appraisals to skilled workers at workplace.

-The Independent