IT is indeed unfortunate that workers of Tazreen Fashions Limited, which caught fire on Nov 24 resulting in the death of as many as 111 workers and injuries to many others, have had to return home empty-handed from the factory on Saturday…. What is worse, the police personnel deployed there charged truncheons on them leaving many injured as they demanded wages for four months and 13 days in line with the relevant provisions enshrined in the labour law. According to a … report … the management of the factory asked the workers to receive just one month’s due salary although, as the factory remains closed without notice, it is legally obliged to pay the amount the workers demanded….

It is important to note that … the factory in question was in operation violating … the rules crucial for ensuring safety [of] the workers. Moreover, the building the factory is located in has been erected in contravention [of] the building code…. As such … like many other apparel factories around the country, it virtually turned into a death trap.

What is more worrisome is that all this continued to occur under the nose of different government agencies tasked with monitoring the overall activities in the apparel sector. Besides, even dozens of disastrous incidents, including fire, in this sector since its inception causing fatalities to hundreds of workers have failed to make the [government] aware of streamlining the sector. It is … also important to mention that in such a situation, the relation between employers and workers in the apparel sector has already suffered a severe blow…. The manner in which the management of Tazreen garments has so far dealt with the affected workers could worsen the situation further.

Overall, the owner of Tazreen garments and his friends in the Bangladesh Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association need to live up to their pledges to make compensation necessary for gaining confidence of the affected workers. At the same time … the government … needs to come forward with effective steps to ensure that the owners of apparel factories comply with the relevant rules and regulations….—(Dec 3)