The leaders, in a span of 30 years, have helped build their own building for the association of the sector in the port city. On the occasions of these two landmark achievements, the incumbent and former leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in Chittagong shared their stories of a long journey with The Daily Star.
The readymade garment industry saw its nascence in 1979 in the port city. Late Nurul Kader Khan was the pioneer. Desh Garments owned by Khan was the first RMG factory there. Then Azim-Mannan group and KDS group joined the march in 1981. BGMEA began its not-so-smooth journey in Chittagong in 1986.
According to Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, the first vice-president of BGMEA, some 30 to 35 factories employing about 7,000 workers were the members of the BGMEA in Chittagong then.
The city now boasts of 750 factories with over 4.50 lakh workers.
Chowdhury said the pioneers faced a lot of problems, as the owners were new, workers were not trained, and the accessories were to be imported on cash payments.
There were no back-to-back L/C and bonded warehouse facilities. But the leaders overcame all the problems gradually, he said.
Khalilur Rahman, a former first vice-president of BGMEA and chairman of KDS Group, said, when the association began its activities in 1986, no government agency would listen to them.
But now the industry is the highest foreign currency earner in the country and the government is much concerned about the industry people.
These all were possible due to the efficient and concerted efforts of the BGMEA leaderships.
Lutfe M Ayub, a former director of BGMEA and managing director of Sunman Group, said the government facilities the industry now enjoys came due to the huge contributions of some former leaders such as late Nurul Kader Khan, Major Abdul Mannan (retd), chairman of Sunman Group, Engineer Fazlul Azim, chairman of Azim Group.
Bonded warehouse and back-to-back L /C are two of the facilities which the BGMEA leaders had fought for and won, he said.
Ershad Ullah, another former first vice-president of the association, said an institute on fashion and technology was established in Chittagong during his tenure from 2000-2002. Chittagong Apparel Fabrics and Accessories Exposition is now an annual event.
The association started its activities in the port city in a rented building at Agrabad in 1986. Outside the capital city, it was the first regional office of the apex trade body of the textile sector.
The office was later shifted to the Jiban Bima Bhaban at 56 Agrabad in 1991. After long 25 years, it shifted to its own building in Khulshi area on February 10 this year. The construction works on the ninth floor of the 13 storied building have already been complete and the leaders of the association expect the rest of the floors will be ready within the next six months.
The new building houses a convention hall with the sitting arrangements for 200 guests, offices of different buying houses and garment industries, and a section of Bangladesh Institute of Fashion and Technology run by the BGMEA. The ground floor will be rented to a bank.
The association did not limit itself to managing business only; rather it undertook many humanitarian initiatives for the welfare of the garment workers.
It provides health care facilities to the workers through its 14 health care centres of which two are situated in Chittagong. It runs three schools to provide education up to primary level to the children of the workers.
The association offers scholarships to 100 talented students who are the children of the garment workers. It also organises awareness programmes to sensitise the garment workers about various emergent issues.
The association also constructed a 100-bed hospital in the port city for the workers. The hospital activities kicked off on February 12 with a 25-bed capacity. It is the first hospital of its kind in the country which is earmarked for the treatment of the garment workers in exchange of nominal fees.
The Tk 10 crore hospital in the Salt Gola area under Bandar police station was built on 8.31 kathas of land. The construction works up to the fifth floor have already been complete.
The BGMEA leaders said the garment workers are now getting both indoor and outdoor treatment facilities as well as services of a pathological laboratory at the hospital.
Gynaecological consultations, a burn unit and the rest 75 beds will be made available in the second phase. The garment workers will get registered paying Tk 20 to Tk 30 for treatment at the hospital.
Chowdhury, the first vice-president of the association, said four doctors are providing outdoor treatment facilities, including dispensation of medicine and consultations for eye care.
The Daily Star, Wed, 16/02/2011
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