Janarashtra Andolan demands labour minister's resignation over failure to resolve workers' crisis

The Bangladesh Janarashtra Andolan has demanded the resignation of the labour minister, accusing him of failing to resolve the ongoing garment workers' crisis. The demand was made in a joint statement by the organisation's secretary Muhammad Ullah Madhu and spokesperson Samya Shah.

In the statement, the leaders said the movement is not only about a pay rise; it is an outburst of discontent accumulated over a long time. Sky-high prices of daily essentials, unpaid wages and fear of layoffs on one side, and extreme inaction by the government's labour ministry on the other, have together produced this workers' movement, the statement said.

The leaders also said the government elected with a huge mandate after the July-August mass uprising has shown utter failure in protecting workers' interests, and the main responsibility lies with the labour minister. The statement also expressed anger and concern over a conspiracy to divert the movement in another direction.

The statement put forward five urgent proposals. The first says the labour minister must resign immediately for failing to resolve worker discontent, and a roadmap for fixing the minimum wage within a set timeframe must be announced under the prime minister's supervision for a lasting solution to the crisis.

The second proposal calls for an emergency meeting within the next 24 hours of the government, factory owners and genuine worker representatives, leading to a written agreement.

The third proposal demands that workers' unpaid wages be paid immediately. It also says there must be no retaliatory layoffs or blacklisting for taking part in the movement.

The fourth proposal urges police to act with restraint and neutrality, without using force, to end road blockades and violence. It also demands that the real offenders be identified from video evidence and innocent detained workers be released quickly.

The fifth proposal calls for a strong and independent 'Workers' Welfare Foundation' to end worker discontent in the long term and to ensure workers' real rights and emergency security.

Warning in the statement, the leaders said no quarter would be allowed to profit by exploiting workers' anger. They called on the government and factory owners to accept the workers' logical demands without delay.