Acute manpower shortage in the apparel industry has pushed the sector towards vast problem leaving at least 30 per cent production capacity unused, stakeholders say.

The highest foreign currency earning industry is still experiencing negative export performance as the globe is yet to come out from the effect of financial recession.

During the July-November period of the current fiscal year export earnings from knitwear, woven garments, home textile and textile fabrics registered fall by 5.66 per cent, 7.86 per cent, 16.48 per cent and 18.16 per cent respectively compared to corresponding period of previous fiscal. The overall export of the country experienced 7.70 per cent fall in November 20009.

Stakeholders said the global economic meltdown has broken backbone of RMG industry resulting closure of hundreds of factories. Besides, the short supply of gas and electricity deepened the problem as most of the production capacity of the factories remains unused.

They said a big portion of sewing machines of garment factories remains inoperative as number of operators is becoming much lesser than the number of apparatus.

While visiting garment factories in different parts of the city this correspondent found vacancy notices in almost all the factory gates. These factory owners are offering handsome salaries to employ workers immediately as they are facing the shortages.

Owners said these types of notice always remain pasted in the factory gates as labour shortage become a permanent problem for the industry. They said in every month after receiving salary at least 30 per cent workers migrates one factory to another and search for higher salaries. As a result all the factories always face labour shortage.

The country has 6,000 apparel factories where 30 lakh people direct and indirectly involved.

Talking to The New Nation BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy said labour shortage turned in to a common problem for every factory. In some cases some workers leave a factory to raise pay by only Tk 100. So, we always keep the vacancy notices pasted, he said.

"The problem is deepening as number of training institute for garment factories is very few. A small number of skilled or semi skilled workers are coming out each year from the training institutes against the huge demand of labourers," he said.

BGMEA vice president Siddiqur Rahman said he saw a labour shortage of 35 per cent on opening the factory after the Eid-ul-Azha vacation. He said migration of workers increased as job is available in one factory or another.

"These workers always want to raise their wages making the factory owners hostage," he said.

"The only way to solve the labour crisis is establishing training centres by the government. As an apex organisation of apparel industry BGMEA is collaborating various issues with different foreign organisations. The government has to come up with more cooperation," he said.

Source: The New Nation, Bangladesh (February 04th 2010)