The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), which is the highest trade body of the USA in garment and footwear business with a representation of 1,000 brands, on Friday called upon Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to withdraw criminal charges against labour leaders and reinstate garment workers, who were fired following the protests over the minimum wage in January this year.
“While the Government and industry did move quickly earlier this year to rectify the deficiencies in the new minimum wage, the aftermath of the minimum wage protests was marred by retribution by the Government and factory owners against workers and labour leaders alleged to have participated in or led the protests that brought those deficiencies to your attention in the first place,” underlined the AAFA letter written to Hasina and the BGMEA President, adding,“This situation must change, quickly, or this success, and the opportunities it brings for your country, will be squandered.”
The AAFA letter further requested efforts on the part of the authorities to establish the Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC), to ‘inspect and remediate all factories in the garment industry as soon as possible.