1. Muslims should give up Islam , all it brings is
overpopulation and dependence on foreigners for food.
2. There must be flat rate welfare for small , less than three
children families , so they can survive the coming famines as the
Arabs price the oil too high for most to survive.
excerpt
Wage can't earn two moderate meals a day
Workers tell roundtable
Staff Correspondent
The amount of wages for garment workers is so meagre that it becomes
almost impossible for them to manage two moderate meals a day due to
soaring prices of essentials, let alone taking care of health, grudges
a garment worker.
“BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association)
said workers can visit doctors at its medical centres, but do we have
any time to go to centres? Our work pressure is so heavy that we
cannot even have some time for rest,” said Farzana, a garment worker
with a decade's experience.
She was sharing her experience at a roundtable on “Workers' health
rights and security” jointly organised by Physicians for Social
Responsibility and Environment Health Programme of Bangladesh Paribesh
Andolon (Bapa) in association with National Health Rights Movement at
the National Press Club in the city.
“The wage is so meagre that there remains almost nothing to buy foods
after paying house rent,” she said.
“Sometimes we, workers, lose our temper for work pressure. There is
not a small space for us in the factories where we can take rest for
10 minutes,” Farzana said, adding that workers even do not know that
there are medical centres of BGMEA providing medicare to them.
Karmojibi Nari President Shirin Akhter said doctors, who conducted
surveys on health status of female garment workers, found 85 percent
of them suffer from various reproductive problems.
They also face physical problems like headache, muscle pains, kidney
troubles for not having adequate facilities to drink water and toilet
facilities for female workers in the factories, she said.
Endorsing the views by Farzana, Trade Union Kendra General Secretary
Dr Wazedul Islam Khan said despite the fact that good health of
workers is very crucial for productivity, the factory owners do not
want to understand it.
Female workers during the pre- and post-natal period pass time of
uncertainty about their jobs and childcare, as most factories do not
care much about maternity leave and day-care centres for children of
the workers, he added.
Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies Assistant Executive Director
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said security and health of workers depend on
wages, working hour, food and rest, but the wages they get are very
small compared to the high prices of commodities.
“Keeping good health is not possible by this small wage,” he said,
adding that there are no hospitals in areas where new garment
factories are being set up, while hospitals that are located near
factories remain closed at night.
“Workers cannot spare time to visit doctors during daytime,” the
labour expert said, demanding setting up camps in new industrial areas
and keeping hospitals in the areas open during nighttime so that
workers can visit during their off period.
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