Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday urged the government to take immediate steps to resolve the ongoing garment workers' wage dispute, warning that delays would further increase losses in the country's major export sector.
In a video message, he said garment workers had been protesting in different industrial areas for the past several days demanding higher wages and other benefits, while many factories had been shut amid the unrest.
He said the rising cost of living had made it increasingly difficult for low-paid workers to make ends meet, stressing the need to revise the wage structure through discussions with both workers and factory owners.
“An industry can survive only if its workers survive,” he said, urging the government to fulfil its responsibilities without further delay to prevent additional losses and avoid creating opportunities for further instability.
The Jamaat chief also condemned the killing of Taufiq, a garment worker from Gaibandha, in Sreepur of Gazipur, and demanded a fair investigation to bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.
He said the garment sector was the country's principal export industry and that any major disruption in the sector could severely affect the national economy.
He also cautioned that opportunists might try to exploit the situation, calling on the government and all concerned to act responsibly and remain vigilant.
Urging workers to protect their workplaces, the Jamaat chief said he stood by their legitimate demands and called on factory owners to treat workers as members of their own families.
He said cooperation between workers and owners would make it easier to reach a solution, while prolonged indecision would only worsen the situation.
He called on the government to act quickly to resolve the dispute, prevent further damage to the industry and ensure that workers received their rightful wages.