Return to work from Thursday, reopen closed factories: labour minister's call after tripartite meeting

Amid the ongoing unrest among garment workers, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has called on workers in Dhaka to return to work from Thursday. He also called on owners to reopen the factories that have been kept closed and normalise production.

The minister spoke to reporters on Wednesday (4 November) after an emergency tripartite meeting with representatives of the government, owners and workers, held in the conference room of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to resolve the labour unrest.

The labour minister said a minimum wage board has been formed to settle the workers' demands through discussion. The decision on fixing the workers' wages will be taken through discussion in the board.

Both the owners and the workers have told him they will accept the board's recommendations. Answering reporters' questions, he said both sides have representatives on the board and had consented in advance to accept its recommendations.

The meeting was attended by Mahdi Amin, the prime minister's adviser on labour and employment, representatives of the BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA, and worker leaders.

Saying the government stands beside the family of the person killed in the workers' movement, Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's direction, the family of the killed worker has for now been given Tk 100,000 in assistance from the prime minister and through the ministry's initiative. The family will also be given necessary support in future.

He said those involved in the killing will be identified by reviewing the video footage of the incident. The authorities concerned have been directed to bring them under the law quickly and ensure trial.

The labour minister also said the prime minister has approved the construction of a 100-bed specialised hospital for workers at Tongi in Gazipur. He said the prime minister's approval was received on Wednesday itself, and the process of building the hospital will begin within a week.

Addressing the workers, the minister said demands may well exist, but there is a specific process to realise them. Demands must be placed in writing through worker leaders. If the government does not respond, there is scope to take the next step. But the culture of taking to the streets without any application or discussion must be left behind.

He said if factories keep running, production and income will rise. Alongside growing employment, opportunities to raise workers' wages will also be created. He therefore called on worker leaders to go to their respective factories and take the initiative to bring workers back to work.

Assuring owners of factory security, the labour minister said the government will continue all kinds of cooperation. Owners who have kept factories closed are also being called on to reopen them and normalise the situation.

Ariful Haque Chowdhury also remarked that there may be a conspiracy behind the labour unrest to destabilise the industrial sector. He said those who want to destroy the country's factories and create an opportunity to shift Bangladesh's garment sector to another country must be identified. Everyone must unite against such activities.

Outlining the progress of the wage board's formation, the minister said that after discussions with worker leaders, the minimum wage board was formed before 12 noon on Sunday. A gazette on the matter was published the same evening. Propaganda of various kinds was carried out even after that, but the government did not stop its work. A meeting was held on Wednesday, three days after the board was formed, and another board meeting is due on the fourth day.

The labour minister expressed the hope that worker-owner relations will be normalised through discussion and production will resume quickly in all factories.