Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government is committed to addressing the legitimate demands of garment workers and setting a minimum wage that will help improve their living standards.
He also warned that attempts to create unrest and disrupt the ready-made garment (RMG) sector through provocation or violence would not be tolerated.
“A wage board has already been formed to determine their minimum wage, and its activities have begun. Under these circumstances, there is no scope for creating fresh unrest,” he said.
Minister Salahuddin made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after attending a meeting on shrimp enclosures at the conference room of the Ministry of Land at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday.
He said the government had already taken steps to address workers’ demands and held discussions with leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and various labour organisations.
According to the minister, almost all relevant labour leaders had been consulted, and the discussions had produced encouraging results.
He said the process of determining the minimum wage would now move forward through discussions and negotiations between representatives of workers and employers at the wage board.
“The government will also urge the board to set a minimum wage that is most beneficial to workers and effectively improves their living standards,” Salahuddin said.
He added that workers’ interests and their cost of living would receive proper consideration during the wage-setting process.
Regarding the closure of several garment factories and workers’ demonstrations on roads, the minister said the government will take necessary steps to reopen the factories as soon as possible.
However, he warned that the government would not tolerate any attempts to provoke workers, carry out attacks or disrupt industrial activities for political purposes.
Salahuddin said some groups might be trying to use workers’ grievances to advance their own political interests and create instability in the industrial sector. The government will take firm action against such activities, he added.
The minister also said intelligence operations and activities by law enforcement agencies would be strengthened to prevent anyone from exploiting the situation or threatening stability in the industrial sector.
He reiterated that the government remained committed to protecting workers’ rights, improving their living standards and ensuring uninterrupted industrial production.
Salahuddin added that while workers’ reasonable demands would receive proper attention, anyone attempting to create disorder or destabilise the RMG sector would face legal action.
