State Minister for Labour and Employment M Mujibul Huqe yesterday urged the garment factory owners to extend helping hands to workers to resolve their housing problem and ensure other facilities, reports BSS. “Increase in wages and allowances have empowered garment workers socially. But they are facing problems for house rent hike and rise in others expenditures,” he said speaking as the chief guest at a workshop in the capital.Nari Udyog Kendra organised the workshop titled ‘Garment Industry and Empowerment of Workers’ at National Press Club in the capital.Presided over by Nari Udyog Kendra President Tahia Khalil, the workshop was addressed by Israfil Alam, MP, BIDS former Senior Researcher Dr Protima Paul Majumder, Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr Nasima Hossain, Canadian High Commission Consultant Silvia Islam and Nari Udyog Kendra Executive Director Mashuda Khatun Shefali, among others. The state minister said the garment workers are now living in dignity because of various steps taken by the government. Referring to the rise in their wages and other facilities, he said this has empowered the garment workers socially to a great extent. He said the sacked garment workers are facing problems to realize their dues.They have to face ordeals after going to labour courts to realize their dues, he said and drew attention of the people concerned to resolve this problem. The state minister stressed the need of increasing female leaderships in trade unions and said the most of the garment workers are women and the women themselves will have to talk about their problems.
