Anarchy in the Garment Sector in the Name of Protests Must Be Prevented

Garment workers have been blocking roads and staging protests in Dhaka and surrounding areas for several days, demanding higher wages amid rising living costs. In some places, angry workers have vandalised property, set fires and clashed with law enforcement agencies. They have also injured seven police officers in attacks.

These incidents raise concerns that anti-government conspirators may be joining the workers’ protests under the cover of legitimate wage demands. Similar incidents occurred during the interim government, when garment factories were shut down amid labour protests, widespread arson and vandalism. At the time, newspapers and social media published photographs and identities of activists from the banned Awami League and its affiliate, the Jubo League, who had taken part in the protests.

Observers believe that anti-government groups may also have infiltrated the current demonstrations. They are allegedly using the labour movement as a shield to create instability and exploit the situation for their own benefit.

Meanwhile, the government has already taken steps to form a new wage board to determine a revised minimum wage structure. The board is expected to finalise the new pay structure soon after discussions. This would increase workers’ wages and allowances. Workers, therefore, should remain patient for some time.

This raises a question: If the government has already taken the initiative to form a wage board, why must workers block roads, vandalise property and cause public suffering to press their demands? The abnormal rise in the prices of essential commodities cannot be denied. It has made life difficult for people across almost every income group, and garment workers are no exception. However, it is also important to recognise that the government did not create the current economic crisis. It is part of a global downturn.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the subsequent war involving Iran and the latest instability in the Middle East have shaken the global economy. The resulting economic slowdown has placed even wealthy countries in Europe and the United States under severe pressure. Inflation and living costs have risen sharply, making it difficult for governments to manage the situation.

Inflation has also made life increasingly difficult in the United States, the world’s largest economy, fuelling public discontent. Faced with the situation, US President Donald Trump eventually suspended sanctions on Russia. On October 16, Mr. Trump suspended for 60 days a decision to impose new proposed sanctions and tariffs on Russia. The United States also reached an agreement with Russia to import diesel to ease the energy crisis.

These decisions indicate the seriousness of the economic pressure facing the United States. The impact of the global downturn on developing countries like Bangladesh, particularly through energy prices and import-export trade, needs little explanation.

People in countries across the world, whether rich or poor, are facing financial hardship. However, the nature of that hardship differs according to income and lifestyle. A wealthy person may struggle when their income falls below the level needed to maintain their accustomed lifestyle. Similarly, a low-income person suffers when their already limited earnings lose purchasing power.

The ongoing global crisis has therefore affected people across all income groups in Bangladesh. Garment workers are not the only ones facing hardship. Low-income, middle-income and high-income people, as well as garment factory owners, are under financial pressure.

The United States and Europe are the main export markets for Bangladesh’s garment industry. As consumers in these markets lose purchasing power, clothing sales have declined. Buyers have consequently reduced their orders from Bangladeshi manufacturers, while some orders have been suspended or cancelled.

With fewer sales, garment factories have less income to pay workers’ wages and allowances, repay bank loans and cover their substantial operating costs. A medium-sized factory may be able to pay workers for only one month, while a large factory may manage three months’ wages at most. Many factories have little capacity to pay beyond that.

Workers also know that some factories have suspended operations because they lack orders and cannot cover their expenses. No factory owner wants to shut down a business unless circumstances make it unavoidable. The economic crisis is not confined to the garment sector; it affects almost every industry. Workers must understand this reality. Blocking roads and causing public suffering will not automatically increase their wages and benefits. They should also consider whether they know the order situation and financial condition of their own factories and whether they can ignore these realities.

Workers have legitimate concerns, but steps have already been taken to address them. They must also consider whether their protests are creating opportunities for anti-government conspirators. It is worth remembering that the government has provided the garment sector with considerable attention, including wage boards and other benefits, compared with many other private-sector industries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, garment workers received incentives and assistance that workers in other sectors did not receive to the same extent. Whenever problems have arisen in the garment sector, the government has stepped in to address them. It has also taken initiatives to resolve the current crisis.

Meanwhile, overseas employment, Bangladesh’s second-largest source of foreign exchange earnings after the garment industry, is also facing difficulties. The Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, is a major destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers. The ongoing war in the region has put workers’ jobs at risk, with some facing the prospect of returning home after losing their employment. Many have already returned following job cuts, while others have been unable to return to their jobs abroad.

These workers have not launched similar protests or blocked roads to demand that the government send them back to their workplaces. They understand the conditions in the countries where they work and are waiting patiently for the situation to return to normal. Garment workers should also remain patient until the new wage board completes its work.

A report published in The Daily Star on Sunday, citing a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey, said that nearly half of the country’s households—47.42 per cent—are borrowing money to meet their living expenses because of financial hardship. The question is whether these households have taken to the streets and blocked roads to demand relief. They have not. Instead, they are waiting for conditions to improve while recognising the country’s economic realities.

Garment workers must understand that the government took office amid a severe economic downturn. The previous Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, which fell after the mass uprising, left the economy weakened through widespread looting and money laundering. Banks were left depleted, and the interim government failed to restore the economy to a stable footing. The war involving Iran has further worsened the economic situation.

Garment workers are not the only ones suffering; everyone is affected. Given these realities, creating instability through road blockades and disruptive protests is unacceptable. If conspirators within the movement engage in sabotage, the workers themselves could face the consequences.

In the current age of technology, those who engage in disorderly conduct during protests can often be identified through photographs and video footage. Garment factory owners may refuse to employ those identified as having taken part in violence, either now or in the future. Workers must keep this possibility in mind.

The government should identify and ensure exemplary punishment for everyone involved in vandalism, arson, disorder and attacks on police officers while exploiting the workers’ movement. It must adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards such acts.

The government must also remember that garment workers protested against the BNP government in 2006. Conspirators infiltrated that movement and fuelled broader anti-government protests. The disorder that followed helped pave the way for the military-backed caretaker government that took power during the political crisis of January 11, 2007, widely known as 1/11.

The government must therefore remain alert and vigilant to ensure that conspirators cannot exploit garment workers’ protests to create instability or advance their own political interests.