Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has alleged that political conspiracies aimed at destabilising the country are fuelling unrest in the garment sector, claiming that certain groups are exploiting workers' grievances ahead of December.
He said groups with no direct links to workers were using various organisations to orchestrate conspiracies, adding that the government would deal with such attempts politically.
The minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Sunday evening to discuss the ongoing unrest in the garment sector.
Ariful Haque said the meeting discussed the formation of a wage board and measures to ensure the smooth operation of industrial establishments.
“However, our main priority is to ensure public safety and restore stability. Ahead of December, certain political forces with no connection to the workers are conspiring to destabilise the country through various organisations. You know that the forces associated with fascism are once again engaged in conspiracies. Inshallah, we will deal with them politically,” he said.
The meeting also stressed the need for vigilance to ensure the smooth operation of factories and safeguard people's lives and property.
Earlier on Sunday, garment workers staged demonstrations in different parts of Savar, Gazipur and Mirpur in the capital, pressing several demands, including a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
Workers have walked out of 529 factories across the country's major industrial zones amid labour unrest, leaving nearly 987,000 workers absent from work.
In Mirpur, workers clashed with police in several rounds of confrontation, while incidents of vandalism and arson were reported.
During the clashes in Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-11, shops and the glass façade of a Jamuna Bank branch were vandalised. A police vehicle beneath the metro rail viaduct was also set on fire.
Police dispersed the protesters and brought the situation under control around 2pm.
In Ashulia, Savar, workers blocked the Abdullahpur-Baipail road and chanted slogans demanding higher wages.
Meanwhile, in Kaliakair, Gazipur, a scrap warehouse belonging to a garment factory and a pickup van were set on fire.