The resurgence of political and labour turmoil is casting a dark shadow over apparel export, exacerbating the woes of business owners who are already grappling with production and freight disruptions due to ongoing labour unrest.
Media reports maintained this adding this unrest recently turned tragic in Gazipur recently, where one worker, identified as Rasel Hawlader, aged 26, lost his life from shotgun-pellet wounds sustained during extensive wage protests and police intervention in Gazipur’s Bason area.
As the industrial unrest intensifies, it coincides with a period of heightened political tensions and opposition protests surrounding the upcoming elections. In response, government officials have called for calm even as State Minister for Labor and Employment, Begum Monnujan Sufian, appealed to agitating apparel workers to refrain from resorting to violence in the industrial zones, emphasising that the minimum wage for them has not yet been finalised.
The State Minister reportedly also clarified that the reported minimum monthly wage of Taka 10,400 was merely a proposal put forward by the owners and not the final decision.
Begum Monnujan Sufian also urged workers to remain calm and resume production at the factories while assisting law enforcement in maintaining order in the industrial hubs.
