Workers’ protests: Many pharmas forced to halt production

Workers in as many as 20 pharmaceutical factories have been protesting for nine days to press home their 21-point demand, in a development that has compelled many factories to halt production.

The workers’ demands include salary increase, job regularisation, and a two-day weekly holiday.

“Worker unrest in almost all big pharmaceutical factories all of a sudden is a matter of concern. It is not a good sign for the pharmaceutical industry,” said Abdul Muktadir, president of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries.

The pharmaceutical companies have urged the workers to suspend their agitation as it would not be possible to meet their demands at this moment.

“But the workers are in no mood to listen to us. Rather, they want to force us to fulfil their demand,” said Muktadir, also chairman and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals.

As a result, production had to be stopped in big factories in the Gazipur area, he added.

“They gave us just 24 hours to fulfil their demands,” said M Mohibuz Zaman, managing director at ACI Healthcare.

The contractual workers are leading the movement in a bid to make their jobs permanent, while the permanent workers are demanding a pay rise.

ACI fulfilled the logical demand of the permanent workers and increased their salaries significantly.

But the company had to meet the demands of its 550 contractual workers.

Since pharmaceuticals is a specialised industry, a certain level of knowledge is required. Until the workers reach that level, they have to work on contract, Zaman said.

“The work of the pharma industry is critical. We make life-saving drugs,” said Mohammad Ali Nawaz, chief financial officer of Beximco Pharma.

At least a secondary school certificate is required for workers in the pharmaceuticals sector so that they can read labels and have some basic knowledge of pharmaceuticals, he said.

Around 2,000 contractual workers out of the total workforce of 10,000 at Beximco Pharma’s factories are involved in the movement.

The permanent workers demanded a 30 percent increment on their basic salaries every two years and two days off every week, which the company cannot meet, he said.

Subsequently, Beximco Pharma’s factory has been shut for two days.

The factory management was later able to convince the workers through discussions to go back to the work.

“We fulfilled their logical demand,” Nawaz added.

Razekuzzaman Ratan, president of the Socialist Labour Front, said he observed the workers’ movement in the pharmaceuticals sector for over a week.

“The workers in this sector thought demands could always be realised through movement, and they assumed their wishes would materialise. It is unwise to leave no room for discussion when they raise their demands suddenly. It does not bring good results for the industry.”

Ratan suggested holding a discussion between the workers and owners.