Home Minister Urges Garment Workers to Return to Work, Blames Outsiders for Escalating Violence

Dhaka, Bangladesh || Tuesday, 3 November 2026 || 17 Kartik 1433

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Home Minister Urges Garment Workers to Return to Work, Blames Outsiders for Escalating Violence

Published : Tuesday, 3 November, 2026 at 1:25 AM, Count : 26

Home Minister Urges Garment Workers to Return to Work, Blames Outsiders for Escalating Violence

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday called on garment workers to return to their jobs immediately, stating that the recent violence across the garment sector is not being driven by genuine workers or trade union leaders, but by outside elements exploiting the situation for political gain.

Briefing reporters after a meeting with garment worker leaders at the Home Ministry’s conference room in Dhaka, the minister revealed that analysis of recent CCTV footage and video recordings shows opportunists and supporters of fascist forces wearing masks, infiltrating protest sites, and inciting violence with false slogans to undermine the nation's industrial sector.

“Those deliberately creating disorder on roads and highways cannot be friends of the workers,” Salahuddin said. “The groups involved in these unlawful activities will be identified and brought to justice.”

The minister urged workers not to fall for misinformation and assured them that the cases of innocent workers and leaders detained during the recent incidents would be reviewed for release in accordance with the law.

Addressing wage concerns, Salahuddin noted that the Ministry of Labour and Employment has officially formed a new minimum wage board following consultations with both employer and worker representatives.

“The prime minister has instructed the authorities to determine a wage structure that will be both worker-friendly and supportive of the industrial sector, taking into account workers’ living standards and the overall economic situation,” he said, adding that the board's first meeting will take place soon.

Also speaking at the briefing, Babul Akter general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and the worker representative on the newly formed minimum wage board echoed the minister’s call for a return to work.

Clarifying that labor unions had not declared a formal strike or shutdown, Akter accused outsiders of pelting factories with stones to disrupt production.

“Reconstituting the minimum wage board has long been a key demand of workers, and the government has formed it promptly,” Akter said. He urged workers to keep production moving while union representatives submit strong proposals to the board, expressing optimism that a reasonable new wage structure will be finalized by December. He added that no worker organization would protect individuals involved in criminal acts.

The high-level meeting was also attended by Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister Mahdi Amin, lawmaker Shimul Biswas, and leaders from major trade union federations, including the Bangladesh Trinamool Garments Sramik Karmachari Federation, Jago Bangladesh Garments Sramik Federation, and the Biplobi Garments Sramik Federation.

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