Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association opposed Tk
19.51 lakh compensation package for each dead or disabled Rana Plaza
worker saying the garments owners are not lawfully responsible to
compensate at such high amount.
The trade body recently submitted a written opinion to the sub-committee
on fixation of compensation demanding to re-fix a ‘logical amount’ of
compensation considering the exiting laws and ability of the owners.
On November 21, the sub-committee discussed on the papers at a meeting
presided over by Dhaka University economics teacher MM Akash.
The BGMEA additional secretary Md Zaglul Hayder and the representative
of the nine infantry division Colonel Rafiqul Islam also attended the
meeting.
The head of the sub-committee MM Akash told New Age that the process of
the fixation of compensation for the Rana Plaza victims would be
finalised by November.
He did not make any comment on the opinion of the BGMEA over the compensation which was submitted to the sub-committee.
The BGMEA demanded that the owners of the five garment factories housed in Rana Plaza are not liable
for the accident and death of the workers as the building collapse did
not take place due any lapse on the part of the factory owners.
The BGMEA paper said that the Fatal Accidents Act-1955 would not be
applicable to fix compensation in this case as the death of workers was
not caused by any wrongful act, negligence or default of the owners.
Although the BGMEA claimed that the factory owners were not responsible
for the building collapse and death of the workers, the trade body on
June 26 had said in its probe report that factory owners could not avoid
the responsibility of the tragic incident and death of workers.
The BGMEA had also suggested in its probe report to bring the factory
owners under a legal framework for opening factories even after BGMEA
warned not to open the factories after the building developed cracks.
On the morning of April 24, the eight-storey Rana Plaza in Savar, which
housed five clothing factories, a shopping mall and a bank, collapsed,
leaving at least 1,133 people dead and about 2,000 injured.
After the disaster, a High Court bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider
and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarker suo moto instituted a
committee composed of the nine infantry division’s GOC and other
agencies concerned to fix the amount of compensation.
The committee on August 29 in its first meeting instituted two
sub-committees – one led by economist MM Akash to fix the compensation
and the other by the director of the directorate general of health
services, professor ABM Abdul Hannan, to consider physical condition of
the injured.
On November 7, the committee in its third meeting at Savar set Tk 19.51
lakh as compensation to be paid to the families of each of the deceased
or disabled worker.
The committee fixed compensation of Tk 10 lakh each for those who lost one limb and Tk 6 lakh each who need treatment for long.
The BGMEA said in its opinion that the relatives of the deceased workers
of the five garments housed in the Rana Plaza will get money for life
insurance and will get Tk one lakh only as compensation as per the
labour law.
‘According to the law, owners are not responsible to pay any additional amount as compensation,’ the BGMEA said in its paper.
Besides showing law as an excuse, the trade body also said that if the
compensation fixed at a big amount many owners would not be able to pay
the amount and many entrepreneurs will be discouraged to set up new
factories in the garment sector.
Referring to the amount of compensation that had been paid in the
earlier cases, including Tazreem Fashions Fire, the BGMEA urged the
committee to set a lower amount of compensation.
On September 30, at the second meeting of the committee, the BGMEA
proposed Tk 7 lakh as compensation for each deceased worker and Tk one
lakh for each injured worker.
The BGMEA joint secretary Rafiqul Islam told New Age that they have prepared their opinion according to the law.
‘We only conveyed our massage to the compensation fixation committee
that the owners are bound to pay compensation as per the law but have no
legal bindings to pay any additional amount,’ he said.
A source involved with the process said that the decision on the
compensation will be approved shortly through signature of the committee
members and then it would be sent to the High Court. (source)