Owners' tendency to control workers using muscle power, especially engaging local politicians and jhoot (garment wastes) businessmen, and government's indifferent attitude to solving problems of workers have caused the recent unrest in garment sector, said labour leaders.

Unless trade union is established providing a table for both garment workers and owners to sit around and discuss the problems in the garment factories it cannot be handled properly, the leaders observed.

“Garment owners tend to control workers using local politicians and jhoot businessmen instead of listening to their demands,” said Mir Abul Kalam Azad, general secretary of Swadhin Bangla Garments Sramik Karmachari Federation.

“Without any logical ground owners do not like trade union which might have mitigated the unrest in the sector substantially,” he added. “Owners want to suppress the movement themselves thus causing unrest among workers as they never return with their demands unmet as was the case this time,” he said.

“This movement cannot be called labour movement. This movement was waged against a totally different perspective. This movement is totally different and distinctive from the earlier one,” said Sirazul Islam Rony, coordinator of Bangladesh Garments Worker Unity Council.

According to the leaders the unrest erupted in the S Suhi Sweater Factory on Saturday after a jhoot businessman, also a Bangladesh Chhatra League activist, in the area tried to control workers of the factory on behalf of the owner.

“Incident of unrest are taking place in sweater factories in large number as wages of the labours vary from one production to another in a sweater factory. And somehow workers are being repressed somewhere,” said Rokeya Sultana Anju, president of Jatiya Garments Sramik Jote.

The leaders suggested the government should immediate announce that it will bring the killers of workers to book, investigate the killings, give compensation to the affected families and take initiatives to solve their problem. They also emphasised the need for introducing the provision of trade union in the labour law, hiking workers' wage and ensuring cooperation from both the government and opposition in resolving the crisis.

“Workers need a place to express their demands and it is also a necessity for the owners to take decisions after consulting with workers. Neither the government nor the owners addressed the matter with proper attention,” said Ruhul Amin, general secretary of Garment Sramik Trade Union Kendra.

-Daily Star