Buyer awards garment workers

Workers of a garment factory in Ashulia, Savar were awarded by the owners and the US clothing giant VF Corporation for putting out a fire on their own.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 Sept 2014, 04:08 PM
Updated : 12 Sept 2014, 04:19 PM

Medlar Apparels Limited employees received the token gifts in a ceremony at their factory on Friday.

VFC Country Manager Dunham Grey handed out the gifts, namely a packet for each worker containing ingredients with which they can make sweetst.

Medlar Executive Director Irtiza Zulfiqar Arif, GM (administration) Shahidul Haque and other officials were present.

Owners said a total of 7,000 packets were given to the workers in their Ashulia and Shewraparha factories.

The packets contain one kilogram of rice and sugar, a packet of semolina, a packet of powdered milk, raisin, cardamom, cinnamon and a mug.

Grey said, “We are very happy to buy products from a factory where workers are not only skilled in their own work but also in tackling crises.”

He thanked all the workers.

Zulfiqar Arif said, “Last June 20, during Zohr prayers, an electric short circuit sparked a fire on the ground floor of the factory. As soon as the workers saw the fire, they used the firefighting equipment at the factory to extinguish it within 15 minutes.”

“Before the fire service arrived they had put out the fire; 130 workers took part in this. At least 11 were seriously injured in the attempt,” he added.

Shahidul Haque said the factory lost at least Tk 250,000 worth of equipment in the fire.

Zulfiqar Arif said when VFC heard of the incident they expressed the interest to provide incentives to the workers.

“At first they offered to give 10 kg rice and 10 kg lentils. We discussed it with workers, who said it sounded like relief supplies. Then we decided on this gift and arranged this appreciation programme,” he said.

VFC gets apparels from Medlar for a brand called Wrangler.

“VF Corporation gets $500 million worth of readymade garments from 65 factories in Bangladesh for its various brands. From Medlar we take $20-25 million worth of clothes,” Grey said.

VFC has recently announced that it will spend $17 million to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.

Grey said VFC managing director would come to Bangladesh this week to supervise how the money will be spent.

VFC is a member of Alliance, the US buyers’ organisation formed after the Rana Plaza incident.

Zulfiqar Arif said, “For us it’s safety first. If we make losses we can recover that. But lives lost cannot be returned.

“We’re training our workers to fight fire. Already 2,500 have taken training.”