Attempts to incite workers and destabilise situation will be dealt with firmly: Home minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government will take tough action against any attempt to incite workers for political purposes and create unrest in the industrial sector. A board has been formed and has begun work to set the minimum wage for garment workers, he said.

He made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions after a meeting on shrimp farms across the country at the land ministry’s conference room at the Secretariat on Tuesday (3 November).

The home minister said the government was working sincerely to improve workers’ living standards and had taken steps to address their demands. The process of setting the minimum wage would move forward through discussions and bargaining between workers and owners on the wage board.

He said the government had held talks with almost all leaders of the relevant labour organisations, as well as with owners. Participants had expressed satisfaction with those discussions, he added. The board would discuss setting a wage that would help improve workers’ living standards.

Salahuddin Ahmed said some recent activities were unrelated to workers’ demands. He alleged that certain quarters were trying to destabilise the situation by inciting workers for political gain.

On reopening closed factories, the home minister said some factories remained shut and workers were occupying roads. Steps would be taken to reopen the factories quickly. However, legal action would follow if anyone tried to keep factories closed through attacks or incitement.

He said there was scope to discuss and resolve workers’ demands. Under these circumstances, there was no justification for disrupting production or creating unrest in industrial areas. Intelligence surveillance and law enforcement operations would be stepped up to prevent potential disruptive activities.

The home minister said the government was considering both the protection of workers’ interests and the continuation of factory production. He urged everyone concerned to remain alert so that no one could exploit workers’ discontent to achieve political objectives.