PM calls for better wages and living standards for garment workers

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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for measures to protect garment workers’ interests, improve their living standards and strengthen their financial security while ensuring uninterrupted production and exports in the readymade garment (RMG) sector.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told journalists about the Prime Minister’s instructions after a meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Saturday evening to review the latest situation in the garment industry.

He said the Prime Minister had directed the relevant authorities to take steps to safeguard workers’ welfare and improve their quality of life. The Labour Ministry was also asked to take appropriate measures, while the wage board was advised to consider workers’ interests when setting minimum wages.

Quoting the Prime Minister, Salahuddin said the government wanted to ensure peace, discipline, development and progress while advancing the garment industry, increasing export earnings and creating more employment opportunities.

The minister said the government had moved ahead with forming a new wage board, although it had until December to initiate the process. The board is formed every three years to review workers’ minimum wages.

Factory owners had submitted nominations for their representatives earlier, while the government received nominations from workers’ organisations on Friday night. The wage board was subsequently formed, with a gazette notification issued on Saturday morning.

Representatives of employers and workers will negotiate the minimum wage, taking into account workers’ living standards, their ability to maintain a dignified life with their families and their financial needs.

Salahuddin said discussions on wages remained open and there was no need for violent demonstrations.

He condemned incidents of arson, attacks, vehicle vandalism and factory fires carried out in the name of the workers’ movement. He said law enforcement agencies had been instructed to take action against those involved in violence, disorder or attempts to create instability.

Asked about allegations that masked outsiders had joined recent demonstrations and incited unrest, the Home Minister said an analysis of available information suggested that some individuals across the border were attempting to create instability by exploiting garment workers.

He alleged that such efforts were intended to destabilise the country, disrupt exports and hamper production in the garment sector. He said the government would take firm action against those involved in sabotage and disorder.

Regarding factories that had closed during the workers’ movement, Salahuddin said owners had been urged to resume and maintain production, ensuring that any shutdown remained temporary.

He stressed that employers and workers should resolve their differences through dialogue and mutual understanding so that production and the supply of export goods could continue without disruption.

The minister also highlighted the contribution of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to the development of Bangladesh’s garment industry, saying the government wanted to expand the sector, increase exports and create more jobs.

Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Nazrul Islam Khan, Labour and Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin and Jatiyatabadi Shramik Dal Chief Coordinator Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, among others, attended the meeting.