The prime minister alleges Tarique Rahman ordered violence during garment worker unrest
Published : 04 Nov 2023, 11:03 PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged garment workers to shun violence and return to work, suggesting that the BNP is behind violence during a campaign for a pay rise in the sector.
Speaking at the launch of Dhaka Metro Rail’s Agargaon-Motijheel section on Saturday, Hasina said that during the BNP's rule from 1991 to 1996, the wage was only Tk 500 and the Awami League raised it when it came to power.
She said that the BNP did not increase the wage at all after returning to power in 2001, and the Awami League raised the pay after 2009.
Hasina called for patience among the RMG workers, noting that a wage board was working on their demands.
The prime minister warned that if the workers attack the factories and disrupt production under “external influence”, they will ultimately harm themselves.
If the factories are forced to close, workers will have to return to their villages and face unemployment.
Hasina said the government addressed several issues related to worker safety through discussions with their employers.
She advised the workers to buy daily necessities at subsidised prices under the government’s family card programme designed to ease the burden of price rises from low-income people.
The prime minister accused the BNP of inciting unrest in the garment sector and suggested the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman ordered violence during the unrest from London by “using the benefits of the Awami League’s Digital Bangladesh initiative”.
“We know who are inciting [violence],” she said as she vowed to bring them to justice.
Hasina continued, "As we selflessly serve the people, what have we witnessed in the name of protests? People are killed, burnt and attacked.
"It's in the BNP's nature to commit violence, burn buses, and carry out attacks, and they will continue to do so.”