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Government should interfere to change salary structure of private organizations

Published : Thursday, 14 February, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 695

Shah Jalal

Shah Jalal

Recently we have watched the turmoil of the RMG workers of several factories in various cities for restructuring their wages. The Government has taken up an initiative to restructure their wages in six grades out of seven as consequent of turmoil for eight days. Tk 8,000.00 and 18,257.00 are the restructured wages of 7th and 1st grade RMG workers respectively. It will be paid for their regular duties only and overtime will be paid in addition to it.
 
If we look at the blue-collar job holders like RMG workers and worker of other industries, we see that when the wages of RMG workers was increased, wages of other blue-collar job holders was increased as well because management of other sectors was forced to increase the wages of their workers (blue collar job holders) to retain them. Generally, blue-collar job holders of any industry are large in numbers and associated as well as they have no fear for losing their job because they can get a job easily in another factory or industry.

Also, they have an opportunity to turn any other low categories occupation as they have no social barrier to maintaining the status. For those reasons, they have no fear to occupy the streets, start vandalism or set fires on the vehicles for demanding something and they do so. Accordingly factories owners are forced to revise their pay time to time. Apart from these, factories owners are always in pressure of various stakeholders-like buyers, regulatory agencies etc. to fair practice towards the blue-collar job holders.

If we have retrieved the past events regarding wages/demand issues of blue-collar job holders including RMG workers, we would found that blue-collar job holders have fulfilled their demand and resolved their issues by turmoil in each time when the demand and issues arises. Despite the pressures of various stakeholders towards the RMG factories owners to ensure fair practice complying prevailing law of the country, single issue/demand did not fulfil by the owners unless demonstrations by the RMG workers till now.

If these are the situation of blue-collar job holders including RMG workers, what is the fettle of other private service holders (except blue collar-job holders) in Bangladesh who have no any employees associations, buyer's pressure as well as monitoring of Government agencies? I think, nobody sweats the head for them. Yes, I would like to raise my voice for those employees who are not blue-collar job holders but serve in the various private organizations in Bangladesh.

Currently, Civil Servants are being paid about doubled than few years ago and blue-collar job holders are being not paid handsomely comparing to the living cost. Accordingly, the price of essentials has raised and living cost of all citizens increase and is increasing rapidly; but there is no remarkable change of salaries of other employees of private organizations who are not blue-collar job holders. It's a bad tradition in Bangladesh that when a group of people starts turmoil, encroaches streets in their possession, start vandalism or set the fire on vehicles for demanding something, respective authority takes action to resolve their issues/ demands with violent means. Respective authorities are sleeping otherwise. It cannot be good governance in any way. 

If we look into the financial gradation of private service holders except blue-collar job, financial gradation is very downhearted. Except the blue-collar job holders, other private service holders cannot generate turmoil, take the streets in their possession, start vandalism and set fire on the vehicles due to lack of organized groups/ associations, fear for losing the job as well as their educational background and social status. In the social perspective of Bangladesh, a university graduate cannot undertake any blue-collar job.
Apart from these, a large number of graduates are unemployed in Bangladesh. That's why graduates would like to undertake any desk job in the private organizations at any salary to deport unemployment status. Owners of private Organizations are occupying these chances of the weakness of graduates and appoint such graduates at very low salaries, most of the cases their salary is lower than minimum wages of RMG workers, though they undertake their duties for more than 10 hours in a day and 6 days per week basis but they don't get any overtime allowances.

When the parents of such graduates provide financial support to their children to obtain university degree, they make out the dreams that their child will contribute to the family more and they also become delighted hopping better life. But when their child team up with the job market after obtaining university degree, they look out on difficulties to carry the personal expenses only, support to parents is out of imagination. The young graduates have nothing to do at that time and they are compelled to join such jobs those pay low salaries except what they will get unemployed.

Even though they cannot manage a job, they cannot undertake low category occupations because they have to maintain social status and go along with social trend. Due to such conditions, business owners are making more money, taking the chance of weakness of graduates those are dropping tears every day. These types of practice by the owners of private organizations and not taking any measure by the government cannot be acceptable in a country. Government should take necessary measures immediately to stop such practice by the owners of private organizations. To keep under observations, government should form a private service commission for them.

The writer is member of Dhaka Taxes Bar Association and he can be reached at [email protected]






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