RMG workers’ protest legitimate; calling it conspiracy exposes govt’s administrative, intelligence failures: Nahid

National Citizen Party Convener Nahid Islam on Sunday termed the government’s response to the day’s protests by garment workers deeply regrettable and unacceptable.

In a Facebook post, Nahid said thousands of workers on the streets of industrial zones had to endure gruelling labour for 10 to 12 hours a day, hunched over sewing machines, and were merely asking for the means to live a decent, humane life.

“This is neither a luxury nor a crime; it is the bare minimum required for their survival. Yet, instead of addressing these legitimate demands, the authorities have responded with baton charges, tear gas and repression…,” he wrote.

He said at least 30 people had already been injured in baton charges by the police and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), while even journalists and ordinary passers-by had not been spared.

“The arrest of labour leaders, alongside the detention of an ordinary worker for expressing their views on Facebook—in protest against the detention of a colleague—is a flagrant violation of freedom of speech and fundamental rights,” he wrote.

Nahid said the minimum wage for garment workers was last raised to 12,500 taka in 2023. But over the past three years, prices of essential goods, house rents and medical expenses had skyrocketed, making it nearly impossible for workers to support their families on such a meagre income.

The NCP chief then highlighted the perceived double standards in the government’s decision to introduce a new pay scale and increase pensions for public sector employees, citing inflation.

“To label the impact of inflation as a ‘conspiracy’ when it affects garment workers—while acknowledging it as a valid economic reality for government employees who shop in the same markets—is nothing short of blatant hypocrisy,” he said.

He said that, instead of meeting the protesters’ demands, the government was attempting to frame the movement as a political conspiracy or an act instigated by the opposition.

“If any banned organisation is instigating chaos, it should be subject to a proper investigation and legal action. However, using this as a pretext to dismiss the rights of thousands of workers as a ‘conspiracy’ only serves to expose the failure of the government’s intelligence agencies and administration.”

He said working people were now facing the same repressive rhetoric and tactics that characterised the Hasina era.

On the government’s formation of a wage board earlier in the day, Nahid said the six-member board was merely a tactic to quell the movement rather than a source of any concrete assurance.

“In 2023, despite a demand for a wage of 25,000 taka, the authorities used the wage board process to stall, ultimately imposing a meagre 12,500 taka. Furthermore, the inclusion of representatives from labour organisations aligned with the ruling party casts doubt on the board’s neutrality and effectiveness.”

He said that while factory owners might cite the global economic downturn or rising raw material costs, it was unsustainable to retain profits during prosperous times while shifting the entire burden of crises onto workers.

Nahid said it was the government’s duty to ensure that international brands paid fair prices for products and to hold factory owners accountable.

“More than 80 percent of the nation’s export earnings are derived from the sweat of these 4 million garment workers. Yet, while their labour bolsters the country’s foreign exchange reserves, many of them struggle to afford even a basic meal at the end of the month—a reality that is deeply shameful for us all.”

Nahid said a fair minimum wage must be announced immediately following consultations with workers. Simultaneously, the government must secure the release of those arrested, conduct an impartial investigation into police assaults, halt the layoffs and blacklisting of workers, and guarantee a safe working environment along with the right to form trade unions.

“In an economy built upon the blood and sweat of its workers, the struggle against such inequality is, in essence, a struggle for us all.”

The government scrambled to form a wage board amid protests by garment workers, which took a violent turn around 11am on Sunday.

More than 200 factories in Ashulia and Gazipur declared holidays amid protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka and the fulfilment of several other demands.

Police fired tear gas and sound grenades as clashes broke out between garment workers and law enforcers.

Protesters also set fire to logs and tyres on the roads, while clashes and chases between the two sides continued at different points.

In Mirpur, workers set a police vehicle on fire during the clashes.

Meanwhile, reports said around 39 people had been arrested.