Member of Parliament and National Citizen Party (NCP) Political Council Member Abdul Hannan Masud has accused the government and garment factory owners of politicising the Minimum Wage Board by appointing their own loyalists.
Speaking at a press conference organised by Jatiya Shramik Shakti on Tuesday, he said that immature decisions by the government have driven the workers’ wage movement to its current critical stage. He called for an immediate halt to police force against protesting workers and demanded wage increases aligned with current market prices for the sake of protecting the industry.
At the press conference, Jatiya Shramik Shakti Convener Mazharul Islam Fokir issued a three-day ultimatum for the determination of a new wage structure and demanded the resignation of the labour minister. He pointed out that despite long-standing demands to form a Wage Board and fix new wages, the labour minister has failed to do so.
Mazharul Islam further alleged that the BNP government over the past nine months has rehabilitated the Awami League and shared profits in the garment scrap (‘jhoot’) business with the party.
Addressing allegations of Awami League infiltration in the spontaneous workers’ movement, he claimed that responsibility for any such infiltration rests squarely with the government. Urging an end to police violence, he added, “Do not attack the workers’ movement; we do not want to see police from the Awami League era”.
Addressing the workers, Jatiya Shramik Shakti Member Secretary Reaz Morshed urged them to continue their protests peacefully on the streets without fear. He assured them that if the government attacks their peaceful movement, students, workers, and the general public across the country will stand by them.
Jatiya Shramik Shakti Chief Organiser Arman Hossain said that attacks on workers by party cadres have called into question the neutrality of the government-formed Wage Board. He demanded the arrest of BNP leaders, activists, and planners involved in the violence, an immediate halt to mass arrests, and the release of all detained workers.
Meanwhile, the organisation’s Central Organiser Sheikh Rubel alleged that workers in various garment factories are being forcibly compelled to return to work, claiming that local leaders and activists of the ruling party are launching attacks on workers at factory gates.
Speakers at the press conference further claimed that attacks on workers are taking place in various locations with the support of BNP leaders, activists, and the police.
Warning that continued suppression would cause the protests to expand further, leaders also demanded the abolition of the ‘blacklist system’ used to harass workers, calling on the government to fix fair wages consistent with the cost of living and stop using force to suppress the movement.
