Deploy army at Fatulla: BKMEA

The New Nation, 5 November 2003, 01:00

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) yesterday called upon the government to deploy the army at the knit garment factories taking the importance of the knit sector into account.

“We urge the government to take immediate steps to stop workers' movement in the country's knit sector and ensure the safety and security of knit garment manufacturing factories by deploying the army,” said BKMEA Secretary (Acting) Md Abul Hashem Mridha in a statement last night.

He said knit industry is the second biggest foreign exchange earner in Bangladesh. Export in this sector is increasing every year.

The BKMEA leader said the knit sector has bright future compared to the oven sector. “Some conspirators have been hatching conspiracy to destroy this potential sector over the last couple of days and they brought the workers to the streets by instigating them,” he said.

He said many garment factories have been facing stock lot problem due to the cancellation of shipments. As a result, garment owners have been incurring huge losses and the country is being deprived of foreign currency worth crores of taka.

“Due to the current unstable situation, knit garments are being deprived of the orders from foreign buyers and the news of this unstable situation is spreading fast abroad. As a result, Bangladesh is losing foreign buyers, and local knit garment owners have become unable to repay the loans taken from banks,” he said.

Mridha said if this situation continues, the innocent workers would lose their jobs, resulting in anarchy and chaos in the country and total breakdown of the knit sector. He said the workers, officials and owners of knit garments are facing insecurity. “We call upon the government to free the knit sector from such a dreadful situation,” he said.