A government survey found that compliance issues remained largely ignored in the small readymade garment factories which are not either the member of the BGMEA or BKMEA. An official compliance report of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments identified irregularities in both member and non-member factories but the extent of misdeed including nonpayment of wages, issuance of appointment letters, identity cards, insurance coverage and maternity leave are higher in the non-member factories. The DIFE conducted inspection at 2,495 ready-made garment factories in 2015. Out of the surveyed units, 1,401 are members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, 475 are the members of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and 618 are not affiliated to any trade bodies. According to the DIFE report, workers of 45 per cent of non-member factories are still out of the coverage of group insurance while the percentage is 10 per cent at the BGMEA member factories and 21 per cent at BKMEA factories. A total of 52 per cent of non-member factories do not provide maternity leave and allowance to the workers while the percentage is 21 per cent in the BGMEA and BKMEA member factories. The survey on compliance issues in the RMG sector found that 18 per cent of the factories did not provide appointment letters to their workers while 14 per cent of the units violated holiday rules. The DIFE also found that 29 per cent of the factories had no arrangement for workers’ personal safety. According to the survey report, there are no trade unions in 97 per cent of the factories while 53 per cent of the units introduced workers’ participation committees and 57 per cent have safety committees. According to the labour law, formation of safety committee is mandatory for a factory having 50 workers or above. According to the DIFE survey, 29 per cent of the factories surveyed do not maintain workers’ service book and 17 per cent of the units do not provide ID cards with photograph to their workers. The report also said that 45 per cent of the factories did not maintain safety record books. ‘We agreed with the DIFE statistics in some particular areas but we have reservation over the report on group insurance and maternity leave,’ the BGMEA vice president Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told New Age. He said if any loophole is found in safety and rights issues that would be addressed, but the BGMEA cannot bear the responsibility of non-member factories.
