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Facing an identity crisis
Latino scholar and Nobel laureate Octavio Paz
said, “All of us, at some moment, have had a
vision of our existence as something unique,
nontransferable and very precious.” This
revelation always takes place during
adolescence. “The adolescent vacillates between
infancy and youth, halting for a moment before
the infinite richness of the world. He is
astonished at the fact of his being; and this
astonishment leads to reflection, as he leans
over the river of his consciousness, he asks
himself if the face that appears there,
disfigured by the water, is his own,” he
continued. The singularity of adolescent's being
becomes a problem and poses many questions. Much
of the same thing as Paz said “happens to
nations and peoples [and groups] at a certain
critical moment in their development.”
Bangladesh Textile Industry is not an exception.
Being in adolescent stage Bangladesh Textile
Industry faces an identity crisis. The May 22,
2006 rampage by textile workers is a reflection
this crisis.
The labor unrest that occurred on May 22, 2006
[and afterwards] is no way an isolated
incidence. Its reasons are deeply linked to
years of frustrations of the poor workers, who
are subjected to abuses, maltreatments and low
wages. With seven days a week of work load and
overtime with no extra wages, the workers have
no gateway to their social and recreational
life. Some factories have been reported to have
locked the only emergency door, leaving no
option for the workers inside to escape fire or
any accidental hazards. Not to mention the
disparity in living conditions of the factory
owners and their workers. No wonder what makes
the otherwise submissive and compliant textile
workers go berserk?
A few steps may constitute some essential
cornerstones in resolving this crisis. All the
parties involved, the government, the industry
and the labor force, must understand that it is
for their best interest the problems need to be
addressed and solved through amicable
negotiation. Clearly, the Government bears the
sole responsibility to pass and enforce laws and
provide good and responsible governance with
accountability. Government must institute
mandatory training programs on occupational
safety and health and labor laws for the factory
owners and managers. On the other hand the
industry must be held accountable for their
non-compliance. The associations (BTMA, BGMEA
and BKMEA) representing the industry must offer
institutional helps to the workers for the
awareness of their safety, health and labor
rights and promote better working environment
and support minimum wages. The associations must
bear responsibility to monitor their members'
compliance.
The Bangladesh Textile Industry is making its
way through adolescent phase, which is difficult
and sometimes painful, but a good leadership and
robust planning could lead the industry into its
adulthood. Otherwise the industry will see this
crippling rampage repeatedly. The industry must
succeed in resolving the issues. For them,
failure is not an option. ¨
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