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Desk Report: Khelafat Majlis has expressed deep
concern over the ongoing labour unrest and mounting crisis in Bangladesh's
readymade garment (RMG) sector, urging the government to take immediate and
effective measures to ensure a sustainable solution through dialogue between
factory owners and workers.In a statement issued on Monday
(November 2), the party's Ameer Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and Secretary General
Dr Ahmad Abdul Quader called for urgent government intervention to restore
stability in the country's vital export-oriented industry. The leaders said labour protests,
vandalism and highway blockades in different parts of the country had forced
owners to keep more than 500 garment factories closed, raising serious concerns
about production, employment and export earnings. They pointed out that factory owners
were already struggling with inadequate and uninterrupted electricity supplies,
high fuel prices and rising production costs. At the same time, workers were
facing mounting financial pressures due to higher house rents, soaring prices
of essential commodities and increased transportation and medical expenses. As a result, both workers and factory
owners were confronting growing economic difficulties, further aggravating
tensions across the industry, they observed. Warning of more serious consequences,
the Khelafat Majlis leaders said failure to find a sustainable solution quickly
could prolong the unrest and create a situation in which factories might remain
closed for an extended period. They urged the government to
immediately initiate the process of the Minimum Wage Board in consultation with
representatives of factory owners and workers to address labour grievances and
establish a mutually acceptable solution. The party leaders also called for
identifying and taking appropriate action against any vested quarters or
instigators, whether operating inside or outside the country, if they were
found to be involved in fuelling the unrest. Emphasising the importance of the RMG
sector to Bangladesh's economy, they said a lasting resolution required
addressing workers' legitimate demands while taking into account the
operational challenges faced by factory owners.
They urged the government to act
promptly and responsibly to protect workers' livelihoods, safeguard industrial
production and restore stability in the country's largest export-earning
sector.