Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to implement the minimum wage scale in all its member-factories, as she announced major measures for the export industry's security, growth, and financial and marketing facilities.

"Many of the BGMEA-member factories are implementing the minimum wage. But, at the same time, many other factories are not implementing the minimum wage. I urge these factories to implement the wage," she said addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 20th Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (BATEXPO) 2009 at Sonargaon Hotel. She made a request to the factory owners not to run after profit only but to do some work for welfare of the people, particularly for their workers.

The Prime Minister also renewed her warning against any further chaos in the readymade-garment sector, which suffered a latest shock from violent clashes a few days back. In view of the security problems, the government is considering introducing 'industrial police' and 'industry intelligence force' to main discipline in the apparel industries, she announced. The PM categorically said the patrons behind creating instability in the garment industry would be found out in order for the export sector to run undisturbed.

To maintain stability in the RMG sector, the Prime Minister sought cooperation of the factory owners as well. "You will have to maintain discipline in your respective factories," she said. In order to boost production, the Prime Minister requested the Finance Minister to take necessary steps regarding loan rescheduling and rehabilitation of the resuscitating 270 sick garment industries of the country. She also directed the Shipping Ministry to examine whether the amounts of service charge at Chittagong seaport for the shipment of export cargos could be readjusted.

Sheikh Hasina suggested the factory owners to explore new markets of Bangladeshi garments in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and in the Middle-East countries. She told her business audience that the government is working to arrange duty-free access of Bangladeshi garment products to the market of the United States. "Our government will present the issue of Bangladesh's duty-free access to the US market at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization to be held in Geneva this month," she said. About the imperative for ensuring workers' welfare, the Prime Minister reminded that the workers are that force which helps the factory owners to earn money.

She told the audience that though the government has introduced rationing system for the garment workers, many factories did not take the ration from the government yet. "Take the ration from the government and distribute food among the garment workers at reduced price," she said. With BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy in the chair, the inaugural ceremony was also addressed by Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam and Commerce Minister Faruk Khan.

BGMEA's first vice-president Nasiruddin Chowdhury gave the welcome address of the annual function of the country's main export industry, which employee nearly three million workers and earns about 76 percent of the national export incomes. In his address, Finance Minister Muhith stressed the need for fast banking and finance-management system for expediting trade and business in the country. He described the country's banking and financing institutions as complex and riddled with procrastination. The Finance Minister said, "The government will continue to facilitate social investment in various sectors for ensuring economic emancipation of the country."

BGMEA president Abdus Salama Murshedy in his address put forward an 11-point demand for further development of the RMG sector. The demands included giving additional exchange rate against every dollar on 30 percent of the export price, increasing time limit for loan rescheduling without down payment from September 2009 to June 30, 2010, re-fixing weekly holiday on Sunday withholding the existing staggered policy. The Prime Minister at the function was honored with a crest. She later distributed crests among successful garment workers and their meritorious children, entrepreneurs and buyers.She later visited various stalls of the BATEXPO'2009.

-New Nation