The owners of garment factories may stop operations if ongoing unrest, disorder and vandalism in the apparel sector continue, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu has warned.
He said factories could not continue production without a safe and conducive working environment.
Speaking to journalists at his office on Sunday evening, November 1, the BGMEA president said every factory owner wanted to keep their factories operational, as their businesses had been established for that purpose. However, maintaining production had become difficult amid the ongoing disturbances.
He said the government had already issued a notification forming a minimum wage board, and workers had been informed about the process earlier. Despite this, incidents of unrest and factory vandalism had occurred in different areas, disrupting production.
The situation has left entrepreneurs deeply concerned, he said, adding that most workers wanted to work and factory owners were equally willing to continue operations. However, he alleged that a small group of individuals identifying themselves as workers were attempting to create disorder.
Mahmud Hasan Khan expressed hope that the Home Ministry and law enforcement agencies would take strict action against those involved in violence and vandalism and bring them under the law.
“If this disorder does not stop, factory owners will no longer want to run their factories. They have already conveyed this message,” he said, adding that the BGMEA would soon hold discussions with the government to decide on further steps.
Meanwhile, garment workers staged road blockades and demonstrations in Mirpur, Gazipur and Savar from Sunday morning, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, among other benefits.
Police used sound grenades and whistles in Mirpur around noon to disperse protesters and restore traffic movement. Earlier, a police vehicle was set on fire during clashes in Mirpur-11.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Joint Commissioner Mohidul Islam said roads had been cleared to prevent public suffering. He said no baton charge was carried out and no one was detained during the operation.
He added that authorities were investigating whether any anti-government or anti-state groups were exploiting the workers’ movement to deteriorate the law and order situation.
Amid the workers’ protests, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced the formation of a new six-member wage board at the Secretariat on Sunday to determine the minimum wages of garment workers.
According to the official notification, BGMEA Director ABM Shamsuddin has been appointed as the representative of factory owners, while Babul Akter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, will represent workers.
Dr Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, a professor of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka, has been appointed as the neutral member of the board.
