The Home Affairs Adviser, Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, has ordered a joint operation involving the military, police, and industrial police in the major industrial hubs of Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur. This operation, set to begin on Monday night, aims to enhance security in the country’s vital readymade garment (RMG) industry.
The decision was made during a meeting on Monday afternoon between the Home Affairs Adviser and representatives from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
BGMEA President Khandaker Rafiqul Islam later shared details of the meeting with journalists at the Secretariat. He mentioned that if needed, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) would also join the operation.
"We are committed to addressing labor discontent," he stated. "It's important to note that those causing unrest are not RMG workers."
The Home Affairs Adviser emphasized that the police, industrial police, and army would take strong action against any outsiders causing disturbances in the RMG factories, with the goal of bringing them to justice by Monday night. He also urged factory owners to keep all factories open starting Tuesday to ensure the economy keeps running smoothly.
RMG sector faces fresh labour unrest
The RMG sector of the country has been dealing with a fresh wave of labour protests for the last few days, which has given rise to new worries among the owners of the RMG factories regarding the safety of their industrial units.
In the last few days, at least 50 RMG factories in the Ashulia RMG industrial hub were declared closed as workers came out of factories and protested in the streets for rights and benefits.
Insiders claim that although workers’ monthly wages have been cleared, some are voicing further demands in an effort to stir up trouble given the weak law and order situation since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 in a mass uprising.
They also said that "outside groups" were trying to take advantage of the situation by making the worker demonstrations into a significant disturbance in this industrial hub.
Authorities of at least 30 factories of Ashulia suspended operations indefinitely on Monday.
They suspended operations due to workers’ protest demanding they stop layoffs, provide attendance bonuses, employments and other benefits.
On Monday, workers from a number of RMG factories, including Gildan Bangladesh, Peral Bangladesh and others, protested by blocking various roads of Ashulia area, notably Nabinagar-Chandra Road, Abdullahpur-Baipail road, and the job seekers protested by blocking the road in front of Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).
A worker of Gildan Bangladesh factory told Dhaka Tribune that the protests are in support of logical demands which include not dismissing agitating workers, a working guarantee of at least 10 years, and attendance bonus of Tk800.
RMG owners respond
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem said that most of the demands are irrational.
“They demand a 25% increment while it is 5% as per Labour Law. We cannot go beyond the laws. Their demands regarding attendance bonus and men-women ratio are also illogical,” he added.
He also said that they demand illogical demands because they are not workers actually, they are vested interest groups and they are working to fulfill conspiracies of domestic and foreign groups.
“We are always ready to have discussions with workers and fulfill their logical demands. But those who protest by shutting down factories are not our workers,” he added.
Requesting anonymity, a senior worker leader told Dhaka Tribune that protesting by shutting down factories is not the activity of workers.
A group is fueling this kind of unrest, he went on, saying; “I have been working with workers for a long time, I can say from my experience local miscreants who want to take control of various businesses related to the RMG sector like Jhut are involved in this unrest.”
He also said that the labour organizations do not support protesting by blocking roads and shutting down factories as they always believe in resolving problems through multilateral dialogue.
“The wages of workers were increased last year. Recently, the political context of the country has changed and everyone is demanding reforms. Workers will also demand reforms, but through a systematic way, only when the situation of the country is normal,” he added.
But the creation of anarchy in this way is not the work of the workers; it is definitely fuelled by outsiders, he went on. He urged the law enforcement agencies to suppress such anarchy strictly.
Exporters to get fresh loans
Bangladesh Bank instructed all banks on Sunday to introduce a fresh loan facility on simple terms to exporters to pay workers’ wages for the month of August.
As per Bangladesh Bank’s guidance, industries that export 80% of the total production will be considered export-oriented industries and will get separate loans along with some other conditions.