The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

Leaders of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) yesterday blamed the local agents of the foreign conspirators for the recurrence of labour unrest at the apparel factories for destroying the garment industry.

The leaders feared that the nation might have to see a sick economy and return of extreme poverty if the apparel industry was not duly protected from the foreign plotters.

They sought state protection against the foreign conspirators apart from arrest and trial of the local troublemakers in the interest of the budding industry and the national economy as well.

Addressing a press conference at the BGMEA's regional office in the city, the First Vice-President of the apex body MA Salam demanded immediate formation of a 'Crisis Management Cell (CMC)' comprising representatives from the bodies concerned.

"Probably you've noticed by now that labour unrest only surged at the factories of the well-off companies and most of the troubles have taken place at the peak season, whereas the smaller and relatively insolvent factories have been running peacefully without problems of similar nature," he said while analysing the influence of the foreign plotters.

The BGMEA leader said that the labour unrest at the sweater factories of the Azim Group and the subsequent violence warrants due attention of the government because those were not isolated incidents but the results of pre-planned espionage and destruction.

"Every thing of the agitation and violence was directed by cellular phone and from Hotel Shajahan in the city," he added.

More than six thousand workers of the troubled sweater factories reportedly turned jobless from Monday following indefinite closure of the factories by the management inflicting a cumulative damage of Taka 2000 million to the company.

Denying wage exploitation by the owners of the Orchid Sweaters Limited, Savar Sweaters Limited and Global Knitwear Limited, the BGMEA leaders said that most of the previously raised demands of the workers had been duly addressed but a section of the workers deliberately instigated others on fictitious issue like basic wage what had long been accumulated in the takeaway package.

Directors of the BGMEA Ershad Ullah, Abdul Mannan Rana, Mohammad Ferdous, Mohammad M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Syed Ahsanul Haque, former first vice-presidents Mahbub Ali, Moinuddin Ahmed, Khalilur Rahman and former directors Nasiruddin Chowdhury, Alhajj Nazimuddin Chowdhury, Emdadul Haq Chowdhury among others, were present on the occasion.