AL instigating garment workers’ wage movement: Salahuddin
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the Awami League (AL), a party whose activities are banned, is instigating the garment workers’ movement and its goal is to destabilize the country.
He made these remarks on Monday following a meeting with readymade garment industry owners at the Secretariat, amid workers’ demonstrations and violence over the past few days in Dhaka and Gazipur demanding wage increases.
He added, “We will strictly try to suppress those who are attempting to do whatever they can at signals from across the border to implement a despicable political agenda. I have given strict instructions to the law enforcement forces so that any ill attempt is suppressed.”
Salahuddin claimed that the government has found proof that some garment owners and labor organization leaders are behind creating this unrest.
Workers in the readymade garment industry - the primary sector of the country’s export earnings - have been taking to the streets over the past few days, demonstrating to demand a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. Facing the movement, the government on Sunday formed a Minimum Wage Board for the garment industry.
Even so, amid workers’ demonstrations in Mirpur, Dhaka and Kaliakair, Gazipur on Monday, the home minister sat for a meeting in the morning with leaders from the BGMEA and BKMEA - two organizations of garment industry owners - at the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Secretariat.
Afterward, he told journalists that the government had already taken the initiative in response to the workers’ demand to form a wage board every three years. As members of the Wage Board, the owner side had submitted their representatives’ names earlier. Labor organizations took time to submit their names. Finally, after they submitted the names on Saturday, the Wage Board was formed.
Labor Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury announced the formation of a six-member Wage Board at a press conference. There are two workers’ representatives on this board. They are Anwar Hossain, president of the Jatiotabadi Shramik Dal and Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation.
The home minister added that the board will convene and discussions will take place. The prime minister instructed that the living standards of workers be improved. He expressed hope that the board will be able to fix the minimum wage as soon as possible.
Regarding the workers’ movement, he noted, “We have observed that for the past few days, some factions supported by the ousted autocracy and fascism have been plotting to create instability by using innocent workers.”
He also spoke of identifying and arresting those involved in road and highway blockades and arson over the past few days.
The home minister said, “We brought some individuals under the law on Sunday. We have collected evidence, audio, and video of all those activities of theirs. Some industrial owners are involved here, and under the banner of certain labor organizations - whether they truly care about workers’ welfare or not - some of their people have created instability and violence.
“We have information that industrial owners who had political identities - who were perhaps at times an MP, a minister, or a state minister of a banned organization - are working behind all this unrest, and we also have proof of that.”
He informed that during the meeting, leaders of BGMEA and BKMEA added that they would provide a list of industrial owners who purposefully closed their factories. A list of names of labor leaders who plotted to create instability has also been requested.
Salahuddin noted that after meeting with the owners in the morning, he would also hold discussions with labor organization leaders in the afternoon.
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina announced her return to the country from India in December. Statements have been coming from various leaders of the BNP that plots are underway to create instability in the country based on that.
In response to journalists’ questions regarding this, Salahuddin said, “Why are you doing this ‘December-December’? December is our month of victory. Some within the AL are raising a clamor of ‘December-December’ in an effort to reinvigorate fugitive leaders and activists.”
The home minister added that the government has and will have various programs during the month of victory. If any fugitive convicted accused wishes, they can return to the country. If they return, their fair justice according to the law will be ensured.
