<i>Agencies gave hints a week ago</i>

Different trade unions and labour bodies were provoking a possible unrest at the readymade garments hub cashing in on demonstrations by sacked workers of different factories, an intelligence agency alerted the government a week ago.
The Special Branch of police in its report submitted to the home ministry put forward a four-point recommendation to avert the unrest.
The recommendations were facilitating reopening of the factories and reinstating the sacked workers. Moreover, ensuring payment of salaries and wages of the workers from BGMEA funds and deploying adequate police force as well as increasing intelligence vigilance were also recommended.
The report stated that fear of unrest was looming at the entire RMG sector due to "tyranny" and "non-cooperation" by some factory owners. It added owners of three factories did not become sympathetic to their workers even after the latter staged demonstrations and formed human chains to press home their demands.
As their salary and wages were not paid, these workers were passing a miserable life without paying their house rents and dues at grocery shops, said the report. It added already different labour unions were keeping close contacts with those workers.
The intelligence agency also mentioned that more than 2,000 workers of three factories who were sacked by the authorities have been demanding their salary, wages and arrears for the last few weeks.
These three RMG factories have shut their offices without paying wages, salaries and arrears of the workers, said the report.
It was suspected that the sacked and unemployed workers along with their colleagues at different factories at the instigation of some labour leaders might launch a massive demonstration any time, the report gave the alert.