Industrial areas in continued wage protest; Nahid Islam demands fair minimum wage and release of arrested workers

National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Md. Nahid Islam has strongly criticised the government, alleging repression in the ongoing movement demanding an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers. He said it is clear whose side a state stands on when it deploys the BGB on the streets over the question of workers' wages. He demanded that a fair minimum wage be announced immediately in discussion with workers, and that those arrested be released.

Nahid Islam expressed his anger over the issue in a post from his verified page on the social media platform Facebook on Sunday night (November 1).

In the post, he wrote that various industrial areas of the country, including Gazipur, Mirpur, Ashulia and Savar, have been in turmoil for almost two weeks. Thousands of garment workers have taken to the streets demanding an increase in the minimum wage. He noted that people who work 10 to 12 hours a day in front of sewing machines are asking only for a chance to live like human beings at the end of the month.

According to Nahid Islam's post, garment workers' wages were last raised in 2023 to 12,500 taka. Over the past three years, the prices of every essential item, including rice, lentils, oil, house rent and medical care, have risen several times over. He wrote that it has now become impossible for workers to run their families on this meagre income.

In the post, he further wrote that the government recently introduced a new pay scale and increased pensions for government employees citing inflation. What is inflation in the case of government employees who shop at the same market is being passed off as a conspiracy in the case of workers, which he described as nothing but clear double standards.

Nahid Islam noted in the post that the old attempt to label the movement a political conspiracy and opposition instigation, instead of accepting the demands, is being seen again. He wrote that if a banned organisation creates disorder, there should be a proper investigation and trial. But using that as an excuse to dismiss the rights of thousands of workers as a conspiracy only exposes an attempt to cover up the failure of the government's intelligence and administration.

According to the post, at least 30 people have already been injured in baton charges by the police and BGB to suppress the movement. He wrote that journalists and ordinary pedestrians were not spared in these attacks either.

At the same time, he described the arrest of worker leaders, and the arrest of an ordinary worker for expressing an opinion on Facebook in protest at a colleague's detention, as contrary to freedom of speech and fundamental rights.

Nahid Islam wrote in the post that the six-member wage board the government recently formed under intense pressure is only a tactic to stop the movement, not any specific assurance. He noted that in 2023 too, against a demand of 25,000 taka, time was wasted in the name of a board and in the end a nominal 12,500 taka was imposed. He also wrote that the board includes representatives of labour organisations backed by the ruling party, which leaves room for doubt about the board's neutrality and effectiveness.

In the post, he wrote that although owners cite a global recession or rising raw material prices, enjoying the profits of good times alone and placing the entire burden of the crisis on workers cannot be a sustainable policy. He noted that securing fair prices for products from international brands and bringing owners under accountability is the government's main responsibility.

Nahid Islam wrote in his post that more than 80 percent of the country's export earnings come from the sweat of these 4 million garment workers. He noted that although the foreign currency reserve grows through their labour, at the end of the month the cooking pot does not light in their own homes.

At the end of the post, he demanded that a fair minimum wage be announced immediately in discussion with the workers. He also demanded the release of those arrested, an impartial investigation into the police attacks, an end to worker dismissals and blacklisting, and guarantees of a safe working environment and trade union rights.