Presidents of 13 top trade bodies in a joint statement also said owners of garment factories are ready to sit with the workers for a talk if there is any grievance among the workers regarding their wages.

Expressing deep concern at the violence at different factories in and around Dhaka, the business leaders said the trouble did not relate to labour unrest, rather there is a conspiracy to destroy garment sector.

"We believe that genuine workers of garment factories are not involved in the violent activities," the signatories said and put the blame on some people, who are in the guise of workers.

They urged all to work together to save the garments sector that contributes 76 per cent of export earnings and employs around 20 lakh people.

If the crisis persists, the garment sector would be destroyed, leaving millions of workers unemployed, the leaders apprehended.

Signatories to the statement include presidents of the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICC-B), Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF), Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and chairman of Bangladesh Terry Towel and Linen Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association (BTTLMEA).

Meanwhile, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) held an emergency meeting at its office yesterday to discuss the situation after massive destruction at a number of garment factories in Savar, Gazipur and the capital.

Presided over by its acting Vice President Mohammad Ali, the meeting asked the government for stern action to contain the situation. "All political parties must unite on this issue," said a statement of the apex body issued after the meeting. It also requested all political parties to cooperate in dealing with the situation in the greater interest of the country.

President of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters' Association (BFFEA) Muqsudur Rahman in a statement yesterday also protested the act of vandalism by unruly people at different parts of the city.

He said the act of violence is carried out by the vested quarters at home and abroad as the country becomes self-reliant with the rapid development of private sector.