Leaders from politics, academia and the labour movement have called on Bangladesh’s interim government to take urgent steps to reopen shuttered textile factories, warning that prolonged closures are deepening the crisis for garment workers and the wider apparel industry.
The appeal was made at the second national conference of the Garments Sramik Oikya Forum (GSOF), held in Savar and chaired by the organisation’s president, Mushrefa Mishu.
Speaking at the opening session, former Jahangirnagar University professor and economist Anu Muhammad said the interim administration had failed to stabilise the sector following the fall of the Awami League government. He stated that thousands of workers had lost their jobs and hundreds of factories had closed since 5 August last year, urging authorities to move swiftly to restart operations at affected sites.
He added that the public was “eagerly waiting” to vote in a democratic transition and called for a free, fair and credible general election in February.
Labour leader Harun Ur Rashid said workers across the country remain underpaid, adding that garment workers’ wages are too low to sustain their families. Jahangirnagar University professor Maha Mirza urged the government and factory owners to provide essential goods to garment workers at reduced prices to ease the pressure of rising living costs.
Mishu called on the interim administration to release all Beximco Group labour leaders, including Khorshed Alam, and to ensure free trade unionism within the apparel sector.
A council session to elect the GSOF’s new central committee was scheduled to take place after the inaugural meeting, the organisation said in a statement.
