Labour and Employment secretary AHM Safikuzzaman said unrest in the country's garment industry is being fueled by agents of a neighbouring country under the cover of workers unrest to destabilize the industry, its production and export.
Speaking as chief guest at an event in the city he further said some international news outlets are spreading negative news about the country's garment industry to bring harm to the industry.
Chairman of 'Debate for Democracy' Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron; which organized the event said the former Awami League government had given registration to many yellow trade unions in the garment sector to protect its political interest.
He said the government must investigate if they are fueling agitation in garment sector under the cover of workers unrest.
Their aim is to destabilize the industry through prolonging chaos. The event was focused on labour rights and unrest, held at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation auditorium in the city on Saturday.
Labour secretary said the unrest in the garment sector has targeted to moving away buyers from Bangladesh Garment sector. If it prolongs buyers purchase orders will go to other countries and that is why conspirators are trying to destabilize the country's garment industry.
However, due to timely action of the government and the law enforcing agencies, the attempt has failed. Shafikuzzaman said in the past business used trade organizations to protect their own interest at the cost of workers.
He said a conflict of interest in industrial sector has developed when most factory owners and businessmen become MPs and ministers. There cannot be two types of labour laws to deprive workers of their rights.
In the last 15 years, Sramik Kalyan Fund now running over thousand crore taka was not managed according to its stated rules to the benefit workers.
This fund was kept in some banks which is now at huge risky. He hoped the current government will ensure safety of this fund and the maximum transparency and accountability in its management.
Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said, "We do not support workers' protests in the name of unreasonable demands but we also don't accept anyone to be discriminated in terms of salary and allowances that force them to take part in protest."
We see many non-workers are now trying to destabilize the garment industry to destabilize the current government. Some of the instigators are neither garment leaders nor workers.
Allegations abound that a neighboring country is trying to capture our garment market by destabilizing production and exports.
Therefore, we believe it is time for owners and workers to work together shunning differences and resolving problems through discussions to stop unnecessary misunderstanding, shutdown and work stoppages.
He also said that in the past, the then government had registered some so-called dummy labour organizations to get support of labor unions. It is important to find out now whether their registrations were done properly or not.
Investigations must also determine whether these yellow trade unions are working for political interests behind creating unrest in the garment sector recently.
Debaters from Tejgaon College defeated debaters from Prime University on the proposal titled "Political interests over workers' rights are creating unrest in the garment sector."
