Labour leaders on Saturday urged the factory owners to reopen their units today, assuring an all-out support from the trade unions to continue production in the readymade garment sector.
At a discussion on the ongoing labour unrest its potential solutions in the readymade garment industry held at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association headquarters, they urged the workers to return to their respective workplaces immediately in an effort to restore normalcy and prevent further disruptions.
Labour leaders emphasised the importance of resuming work to ensure economic stability and addressing issues through proper channels.
The government also warned of strict measures against those causing unrest in the sector, as factory owners threatened to shut down their units indefinitely if the disruptions persisted.
National Garment Workers Federation president Amirul Haque Amin said that trade union leaders would work with the factory owners to ensure smooth operations in the factories.
He said that both the workers and factory owners would have to comply with the labour laws.
Noting that factory owners often opposed the formation of trade unions, Amin pointed out that the current unrest was not happening in factories in Ashulia where trade unions were present.
Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation president Babul Akter said that if necessary, they would work to persuade workers to avoid engaging in disruptive actions and seek peaceful resolutions instead.
He urged all workers to return to their jobs avoiding participation in any destructive activities prompted by outsiders.
Babul urged the factory owners to keep their factories open saying that trade union leaders would provide support to run the factories.
He also alleged that factory workers frequently encountered poor treatment from the mid-level management.
This mistreatment exacerbated workers鈥� dissatisfaction and created grounds for unrest, as it undermined their well-being and sense of fairness in the workplace, he said.聽
Industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan urged factory owners to keep their factories open, warning that troublemakers in any individual unit would be dealt with strict measures.
The adviser made the statement as factory owners sought decision from the government to keep factories shut under Section 13/1 of the Bangladesh Labour Act amid the labour unrest.
Adilur said that if anyone tried to keep factories closed endangering the country鈥檚 economy, they would be held accountable.聽
BGMEA president Khandoker Rafiqul Islam said that while most factories in the Ashulia area resumed production on Saturday, some units had to halt operations as workers left the factories at noon.
Given the situation, factory owners were pressuring the BGMEA to announce a decision to close factories under the labour law鈥檚 Section 13/1 allowing implementation of a 鈥榥o work, no pay鈥� provision for an indefinite period, he said.
The association president announced that if the unrest persisted, factory owners in Ashulia would initiate closures under the section starting from today.
Responding to him, the industry adviser urged factory owners to keep their factories open today assuring that the government would take special measures in such situations.
Labour adviser to the interim government Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan also pledged tough action against those attempting to destabilise the industry.
He also called on all trade union leaders to support efforts to ensure smooth operations in the readymade garment factories.聽聽
Asif also urged factory owners to address workers鈥� valid demands on a timely basis rather than dismissing them all as conspiracy.
Major General Md Moin Khan, general officer commanding of the 9th Infantry Division, identified three key factors behind the ongoing unrest in the sector鈥攁ttacks from outsiders, a mix of both rational and irrational demands from workers, and the strife over establishing control over the jhut (cutting waste, scraps and fluffs produced in the process of production) business.
He said that the army and law enforcement agencies had already controlled the attacks by outsiders, but workers鈥� demands should be addressed through a tripartite initiative involving all parties.
The major general also observed that intervention by political leaders was needed to manage their party activists to resolve the fight over the jhut business.聽聽
Industrial Police deputy inspector general Md Sibgat Ullah reported that over 9,000 factories, both RMG and non-RMG, fell under the jurisdiction of the Industrial Police, with 56 per cent of them had yet to be paid their August wages.
He urged factory owners to pay workers in time to help calm the situation.
Hameem Group chairman AK Azad said that running factories would be impossible without enhanced security, as the ongoing labour unrest lacked valid justification.
Global buyers have favoured Bangladesh for its low cost and substantial production capacity in time, but now many, including those from the US and Australia, are reconsidering their visits due to security concerns and exploring alternative destinations.
鈥楳y factory was closed for 13 days and reopened on Saturday, but I still don鈥檛 know the reason for the closure,鈥� Ananta Group managing director Inamul Haq Khan Bablu said.
Rising Group managing director Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu emphasised that factories must be reopened and the government needed to ensure security.
He said that factory owners, labour leaders, and workers must all adhere to labour laws.
Babu said that if factory owners violate laws, BGMEA should hold them accountable, while trade unions should take action against labour leaders who acted unlawfully.
He also highlighted that some influential factory owners disregarded valid demands of the workers by leveraging their power to the harm of the entire sector.聽聽
Meanwhile, the majority of readymade garment factories located in the Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur industrial belts, experiencing workers鈥� protests for over two weeks, resumed operations on Saturday.
Approximately 49 factories, including some in Ashulia, remained closed or suspended operations on the day.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Gazipur reported that the workers from the TN Jet Apparels Limited staged a protest in the Mogarkhal area, demanding their overdue wages and the reopening of their factory.
Fearing potential vandalism, the authorities of a nearby factory announced holiday for the day at 11:00am.
TN Jet Apparels workers started the protest after discovering the factory was closed when they arrived for work in the morning.
