Government Fears Plot to Exploit Garment Workers' Movement as Taslima Backs Tk 30,000 Wage Demand

Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, has expressed fears that garment sector discontent could be exploited in a plot to create an unstable environment in the country. He said attempts to create unrest could continue for as long as ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina remains alive. But he vowed the government would foil such attempts at any cost.

He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon while answering journalists' questions at a regular press briefing on the progress of the government's overall activities, held at the conference room of the Department of Information at the Secretariat. He commented that such sabotage activity is not limited to the coming December alone.

Meanwhile, Taslima Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, considers the garment workers' ongoing movement justified. In an interview on Tuesday (3 November), she said the demand to set the workers' minimum wage at Tk 30,000 in line with current market prices is not excessive at all.

The information adviser said the government is also treating workers' living costs seriously. He said the government is considering with the utmost importance the rise in daily living costs of ordinary workers caused by inflation and fuel price hikes. Although wages are usually reviewed every five years, he said the government has formed a new wage board ahead of schedule considering the workers' real crisis, opening the way to a positive resolution of the movement's main demand.

Taslima Akter said that under the law there is a provision to re-fix workers' wages every three years. Living on the current wage has become difficult for workers. She believes setting the minimum wage at Tk 30,000 would make it consistent with market prices and make workers' lives somewhat easier.

The information adviser, however, claimed the violent turn seen on the streets cannot in any way be the behaviour of ordinary working people. According to him, investigations by agencies under the Home Ministry have found instigation from across the border behind such anarchy.

Taslima Akter has voiced a similar suspicion. In a recent video message, she alleged an attempt to divert the workers' movement. She said various parties known as opponents of the mass uprising are seen commenting on the movement on social media, and incidents of arson in various places and the spreading of videos of those incidents have also been noticed. In her words, when workers hold a movement, they do not set fire to factories.

Describing the Awami League's current position, Zahed Ur Rahman said the party no longer has the capacity to take to the field and do anything as an active political force. But, he said, using the huge amount of money it has stored, attempts are being made to create sabotage in various places in the country. He said that although it is not confirmed whether this activity is directly linked to December, such conspiracies will continue as long as Sheikh Hasina is alive.

On the strategy of law enforcement agencies in controlling the movement, the information adviser made clear the government does not want to handle the situation through force or repression as in the past. Noting that the young people on the streets are also citizens of the country, he said the administration is moving towards a solution based on intelligence, keeping public suffering and damage as limited as possible. He added that police have been strictly instructed to act lawfully and use only minimal force proportionate to the level of conflict.

Taslima Akter also opposed repression. On the use of force by law enforcement and workers being injured in the ongoing movement, she said the problem will not be solved by suppressing, arresting and harassing workers. Workers take to the streets only when no other path is open to them. So instead of repression, initiatives must be taken to quickly consider and implement the workers' demands.

On the wage board, Taslima said workers have the right to press demands through democratic movement. A wage board has been formed and workers will place their demands there, which is the normal process. But as the board needs some time to finish its work, she urged workers to be patient and also called on the board to finish its work quickly and reassure the workers. She said they had long been holding movements and programmes demanding the quick formation of a wage board, and proposals had also been sought from them on who the board members could be.

Taslima Akter also spoke about the role of foreign buyers. She alleged that foreign buyers want to buy garments from Bangladesh at low prices, yet they take the large share of the profit. She believes that alongside ensuring workers' fair wages and rights, buyers too must play a responsible role. In her view, resolving the crisis in the country's garment industry requires not only the government and owners to do their part, but foreign buyers to take responsibility as well.

On bringing back former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the information adviser said that whether she returns voluntarily or is brought back through legal process, the government's ultimate goal is to bring her onto the country's soil and face trial. Without announcing any advance decision on withdrawing the ban on her passport or issuing a travel pass, he said the administration will take necessary steps in due course considering the real situation.