Fair wages for garment workers, zero tolerance for violence and sabotage.
There is no scope to view the violence over the garment workers' movement demanding a wage increase in the capital, including Mirpur area merely as an incident of worker discontent.
Workers' legitimate demands for fair wages and improved living standards deserve serious consideration. Alongside it is equally important to investigate whether anyone is exploiting these demands for political purposes by attempting to instigate violence, arson and instability in public life.
Because the movement to establish workers' rights and the destruction of state assets under the guise of any movement are not the same thing.
The garment industry is one of the main driving forces of Bangladesh's economy. A significant portion of the country's export earnings depends on the hard work and dedication of several million workers in this sector.
Therefore, there is no way to deny that the demand for a wage increase is realistic and logical, considering the cost of living, food, housing, medical care, and children's education for workers in this industry.
Ensuring minimum financial security for workers is not only the responsibility of employers but also an important responsibility of the state.
Taking this reality into consideration, the government has formed a new wage board to revise garment workers' wages within seven months of assuming office.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on November 1 formally announced the formation of the board, comprising representatives of employers, workers and neutral parties. The board is responsible for preparing recommendations for a new minimum wage structure through discussions with the relevant parties.
This is an important institutional initiative in response to the workers' longstanding demands. However, forming the board is not the end of the process. Its real success will depend on whether the new wages are determined in line with workers' expectations and the cost of living.
This naturally raises a question: when the government has taken the initiative to form a wage board in response to workers' demands and employers have also expressed their consent to the process, why has the movement increasingly turned violent?
Protests, demonstrations and other programmes to press for demands are democratic rights. However, attacks on police, setting vehicles on fire, blocking roads, vandalising business establishments or disrupting public movement cannot be accepted under any circumstances in the name of exercising those rights.
On November 1, clashes, road blockades and arson attacks on police vehicles took place in Mirpur centring on the workers' movement. Road communications in Mirpur-10, Mirpur-11 and Pallabi were disrupted. Train services at metro rail stations had to be suspended for several hours. The disruption to this important transport network in the capital caused suffering to commuters, students and ordinary passengers.
When thousands of general people suffer because of a movement demanding workers' rights in an industry, it is natural to raise questions about the tactics and objectives of that movement.
According to Mohammad Rakib Khan, deputy commissioner of the Mirpur Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (DB), the DB arrested 11 activists of the activities banned Awami League, Jubo League and the banned Chhatra League in connection with the violence.
Police claimed that the arrested individuals are not local garment workers but had come from different districts, including Barishal, Patuakhali, Cox's Bazar and Gaibandha, and took part in sabotage under the cover of the movement. Police also alleged that activists of banned political organisations infiltrated the workers' movement and attempted to escalate tensions.
If these allegations are true, they are undoubtedly a matter of concern. If activists of a politically banned organisation attempt to exploit genuine workers' grievances to spread violence, it would not only undermine the legitimacy of the workers' rightful movement but also threaten the country's industrial and economic stability.
However, it would also be inappropriate to label all protesters as political activists or saboteurs before an investigation is completed. Identifying the distinction between genuine workers and outsiders attempting to incite violence is a major responsibility of law enforcement agencies.
Following the fall of the fascist Awami Regime through the student- People uprising on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh's political landscape underwent major changes.
Since then, various movements have taken place over different demands. Many of these movements stemmed from genuine problems and aspirations to secure rights. However, there have also been allegations that the Awami League attempted to infiltrate such movements at different times to serve its political interests.
Bangladesh's readymade garment industry is not merely a manufacturing sector; it is one of the foundations of the country's foreign exchange earnings, employment and economic growth. Prolonged instability in this industry could undermine the confidence of international buyers and disrupt production activities and export supply chains. Ultimately, workers themselves would bear the consequences.
If factory production is suspended, workers' incomes will decline, employment will become uncertain and the national economy will suffer. Therefore, maintaining a safe industrial environment is as important as meeting workers' demands.
In this regard, the government has a dual responsibility. On the one hand, the wage board must work promptly and transparently to ensure fair wages for workers. It must determine realistic wages by considering workers' living costs, inflation, house rent, food and healthcare expenses.
On the other hand, those involved in arson, vandalism, attacks on police or destruction of state property in the name of protests must be brought to justice through impartial investigations, irrespective of their political affiliations. At the same time, it must be ensured that no innocent worker is subjected to harassment.
Most importantly, the movement to secure workers' legitimate rights must not be allowed to become a tool for serving the interests of any political group. An increase in workers' wages is an economic and humanitarian demand, not a political programme of any party. If anyone deliberately instigates violence by exploiting this demand, it is natural for the government to take strict action.
In the current political and economic context of Bangladesh, maintaining stability is as important as establishing workers' rights. The government's primary responsibility is to reconcile these two objectives rather than allow them to come into conflict.
The Mirpur incident should therefore be viewed not merely as a law and order issue but also in terms of the integrity of labour movements, political responsibility and national stability. Workers must receive fair wages, while those who exploit the identity of workers to engage in violence and sabotage must face the law.
Workers' rights should be established, but no attempt to destabilize the state and economy under the guise of those rights should succeed.
