Aiming to avoid untoward situations before the next general election, law enforcement agencies have been keeping an eye on readymade garment factory owners loyal to BNP and Jamaat.
Sources said that, taking advantage of US labour policy, known as the President Memorandum, the industrialists in question may cause unwarranted incidents on their own so the West can impose sanctions.
Additionally, the monitoring is also part of a regular process to prevent any conspiracy against the government, they add.
A recent report by the Special Branch (SB) of the Bangladesh Police also suggested keeping pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat garment factory owners under close observation.
A list of such factory owners is being prepared, a police official familiar with the process confirmed.
The Industrial Police and several government intelligence agencies are working in this regard.
US labour policy
On November 16, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new US Presidential Memorandum on "Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labour Standards Globally."
The new policy urges all government agencies to enhance their engagement with governments, labour organisations, trade unions, civil society, and the private sector. The goal is to safeguard the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
It came at a time of unrest in Bangladesh regarding the minimum wage in the garment sector, leading to workers going on strike.
Coincidentally, the schedule for the country's next parliamentary election was announced on November 15, just a day before the US labour policy was revealed.
On November 30, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh was not worried about the new US labour policy.
Measures after unrest
Additional Inspector General of Police Mahbubur Rahman Ripon, who also heads the Industrial Police, told Bangla Tribune they are already working to avert any chaotic situation in the garment sector.
"We're especially keeping an eye on the factories owned by those who are loyal to BNP and Jamaat. We'll never allow any effort to create chaos in the industry," Mahbubur said.
Tension in the garment sector soared alarmingly in late October and peaked last month, mainly for a pay hike. Several clashes and blockades took place, primarily in Gazipur and Dhaka's Mirpur, causing at least two workers to die.
The situation worsened, so ready-made garment owners shut down nearly 500 factories by October 31.
However, the number of closed factories dropped to around 100 by mid-November.
BNP and Jamaat leaders were trying to deepen the crisis, sources in the police said.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir openly supported the agitating garment workers. However, the law enforcement agencies cleverly managed to handle the situation.
The government also helped calm the situation as soon as possible by fixing the minimum wage for apparel workers.
The SB report said that the BNP, failing to intensify its anti-government movement, resorted to instigating several professional and worker unions.
By doing that, the party tried to make political gains, adding: "The BNP took initiatives to create an alliance with such student, worker, and professional unions."
The Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal has already floated a platform of 15 worker organisations.
Intel report
Amid the growing speculations over US labour policy, an intelligence report says that several labour leaders and organisations, mainly from the leftist forums, are working for those trying to foil the election.
"They are engaged in the plot to oust the government and create a massively chaotic situation. The US, the EU, and their allies may impose sanctions on Bangladesh's garment industry so they can create political pressure on the country before the election," the report adds.
"The main aim is to make the garment factory owners take an anti-government stance. In the processes, the owners from the BNP-Jamaat clique and struggling factories could play a key role," according to the report.
Confusion clarified
A copy of a Letter of Credit (LC) from a foreign buyer to a member of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said: "We will not process transactions involving any country, region, or party sanctioned by the UN, US, EU, or UK. We are not liable for any delay, non-performance, or disclosure of information for sanction reasons."
Clarifying the BGMEA's take on that, its president said on Wednesday: "It is to be noted that the LC came from a particular buyer, and this is not a statutory order or notice by any country."
There are 4,109 garment factories in the country, employing a staggering four million people.
Products manufactured in the factories are exported to 167 countries.
In the 2022-23 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported goods worth $55.56 billion. Of the total export volume, garment products were valued at an estimated $46.99 billion. This translated into a whopping 84.57% of the total exports.
Sources say that it is easier to get the government into trouble if sanctions are imposed in light of unrest in the garment sector. The opposition parties and blocs are trying their best to make it happen as their street protests failed to gain momentum, they add.