Manufacturers of ready-made garments (RMG) have claimed that the current labour unrest in the industry is not a reflection of workers’ unhappiness but rather is a part of a sinister scheme by an outsider to undermine the sector.
Industry leaders voiced worry on Saturday during a discussion at the Golf Garden in Dhaka, which was organised by members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). They noted that worker tensions have continued to rise even after all of their demands have been met.
The managing director of Nexus Group, Abdur Rashid Hossaini, claimed that people with connections to foreign interests are causing havoc in the garment industry in an attempt to undermine Bangladesh’s economy. He stressed how important it is to recognise and neutralise these outside influences.
Former BGMEA director Lutfe Mawla Ayyub bemoaned the lack of attention being paid to finding positive answers to the turmoil and attacked the dissemination of false information about the sector.
The former senior vice-president of the BGMEA, Faisal Samad, issued a warning that issues in one garment factory could affect others and called for a group discussion centred on solutions.
The Rising Group’s Managing Director, Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, stressed the urgent need for intervention and the efficient handling of the unrest by characterising the current state of affairs in Ashulia as more of a law and order issue than a labor-related issue.
Following their debate, the BGMEA members issued a call to action to address the root causes of the turmoil and protect the apparel industry from perceived threats.
