After the August 5 political change, the country’s main export earning sector, the garment industry, witnessed a period of large-scale and long-lasting labor unrest in industrial belts such as Savar, Gazipur, Ashulia, Zirabo and Zirani.

Weak law and order at the time contributed to the prolonged period of unrest that broke out in mid-July.

This has seriously affected the shipping of goods, impacting both transportation and production.

The issue was only resolved in the first week of October, after a tripartite agreement was adapted in the last week of September.

The 18-point demands made by the textile workers had logical demands and they were all accepted.

For example, a number of garment factories failed to pay wages on time, while around 5% failed to fully implement the minimum wage structure that took effect in December from last year.

Workers cannot trust union leaders or factory owners because they have not been paid on time despite several assurances, a union leader said.

Other demands included removal of abusive middle managers as well as increase in attendance bonuses and tiffin allowances.

Union leaders also demanded quick amendments to the labor law, which contains some anti-union clauses that prevent workers from forming unions unless they meet strict conditions.

For example, they demanded the revision of the rule that requires at least 20 percent of workers to participate in the formation of a union in garment factories.

The workers also demanded a review of the minimum wage structure and the Ministry of Labor and Employment formed a committee to reassess it in light of persistent inflation.

The decision on whether another minimum wage will be formulated for garment workers will be made by April next year.

The wave of labor unrest caused direct losses worth more than $100 million, although indirect losses, due to shipping delays, costly air shipments, offering deep discounts and cancellation work orders, were much larger.

Additionally, the timing of the episode meant that local exporters received almost 10 percent fewer orders for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.

However, normality was restored with the adoption of the 18-point charter, with the majority of factories having implemented the measures outlined in the agreement.

However, 19 factories could not fully implement it. As a result, unrest broke out again in these factories.

They have failed to implement the changes for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that some of the owners are overseas while others are in prison due to their political affiliations. Others are unable to obtain loans from banks and are overburdened with payments.

AHM Shafiquzzaman, secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, said the problem had been resolved in two or three factories.

The owners of the affected factories are either in prison, abroad, or do not have the financial capacity to pay their salaries, he explained.

As part of the latest resolution, the government lent Tk 16 crore to the TNZ Group so that it could resolve workers’ remuneration issues at its Gazipur unit. Of this, Tk 10 crore came from the Finance Ministry and Tk 6 crore from the Central Fund.

Following these assurances, the workers lifted their blockade along the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Monday evening.

The new Advisor to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Mr. Sakhawat Hossain, yesterday warned factory owners to pay workers timely and implement the minimum wage structure.

“Otherwise, the government will appoint administrators in these factories,” he said.

Amirul Haque Amin, president of the National Garment Workers’ Federation, said the financial situation of garment workers is now dire due to inflation, which has been hovering above 9 percent since March last year .

“On top of that, they do not receive timely salaries from factory owners,” he lamented.

Some workers have not been paid for two or three months, so they took to the streets to press their demands, he said.

He added that the latest wave of unrest took place at specific factories because they were not paying workers on time, even though a tripartite agreement reached in September said the arrears would be cleared very soon.

Md Towhidur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Federation, echoed Amin’s view.

Workers cannot trust union leaders or factory owners because they have not been paid on time despite several assurances in the past, he said.

Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, immediate past president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the association had warned factories to pay workers on time.

Not all factory owners are complying with the terms of the 18-point agreement, he also said.

As a result, workers are taking to the streets to demand timely payment, he added.