Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers' Party, said that after the mass uprising, workers, along with students, were the most affected and had the highest number of casualties.
"However, even after five months, the fruits of the uprising have not reached the workers' homes," he added.
He made these remarks on Friday at a conference of the Dhaka District Industrial Committee of the Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers' Party, held at 4:30pm at the Shreepur bus stand in Ashulia.
The conference focused on demands for the right to vote and ensuring all democratic and human rights for workers.
He further said: "After the mass uprising, there has been no change in the fate of the workers. Despite the student and youth casualties, the garment workers and the general working class, especially the lower-middle class, were the most affected. However, the daily struggles faced by these people have yet to be resolved."
He added: "The Sheikh Hasina government has been burning and looting for 15 years, but in the past five months, the prices of goods have not come down. Workers are unable to afford even one kilogram of meat or fish. With their wages, they can only manage food for 15 to 20 days."
Therefore, he insisted that the minimum wage for workers must be raised to Tk25,000. Alongside this, he strongly demanded the formation of a wage commission for workers, in addition to the Labour Commission.
He also pointed out that nearly a hundred factories have been shut down. No conscientious worker would create chaos in the factories. Therefore, he demanded that the factories be reopened, ensuring the coordination of workers.
Arbindu Bapari Bindu, a central member of the Revolutionary Workers' Party, said: "A conspiratorial group is using the August 5 incident to engage in case trade. A case had been filed against the joint convenor of the Ashulia regional committee of the Revolutionary Workers' Party, which has no basis."
"Such harassment cases should be properly investigated by the police, and legal action should be taken," he added.
He also called on the interim government to fulfil the workers’ democratic rights, human rights, and all their demands.
He said: "The 18-point agreement made with the workers should be enforced compulsorily by every garment owners."
The event was chaired by Arbindu Bapari Bindu, a central member of the Revolutionary Workers' Party, with special guests including central members of the political council, Banhishikha Jamali, Akbar Khan, Mofazzal Hossain Mostak, and leaders from various units.