Minister links RMG unrest with war crimes trial

A political party is behind the violence in the garment sector and has an aim to disrupt the war crimes' trial, Labour and Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said yesterday.
He, however, did not name the party.
"Generally this sort of violence occurs in Ashulia, Kanchpur and Joydevpur, but today's [yesterday] agitation took place in Gulshan and Moghbazar areas where people are aggrieved with the trial of war criminals," he said while talking to the reporters in Faridpur.
Terming the reason of the unrest political, he urged the workers to come up with their complaints within the next 14 days.
Meanwhile, BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir blamed the government for what he called its incorrect policy for the sector.
“The government is responsible for the unstable situation in the sector as it failed to master an agreement between the owners and workers,” he told reporters while visiting late president Ziaur Rahman's grave yesterday.
Replying to a query, Mirza Alamgir, the senior joint secretary general of BNP, said an understanding between the government, owners and workers can resolve the crisis.
AK Azad, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), termed the violence unexpected and sought cooperation from all to save the garment industry, country's highest foreign currency earner.
"Don't be confused," he urged workers, adding, "You can place your demands if the factories survive."
He also called on the workers not to take the law in their hands but raise their issues before the wage board instead.