United News of Bangladesh

Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Saturday blamed past misgovernance and political abuse for the failure of the country’s industrial sector, stating that factory owners used to hold political power and parliamentary positions, leading to exploitation rather than fair governance. “Many ministers and MPs of the former regime, who also won factories, fled abroad without paying workers' wages. Their assets, including houses, cars and land, are being liquidated to compensate the workers,” the adviser said while speaking at a shadow parliament organised by Debate for Democracy on labour rights. He said efforts are underway to issue red alert via Interpol to bring back absconding owners who escaped without clearing workers’ dues. Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman attended the event as special guest, while Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron presided over the session. Referring to the July Uprising, Sakhawat said the movement saw significant participation and casualties among students and also labourers, driven by long-standing frustration and injustice. He also alleged that the Rana Plaza rescue of a female worker 17 days after the collapse was a “staged drama,” and blamed previous government negligence for the disaster. Bangladesh advances on press freedom index due to govt’s non-interference: Info Adviser Chairman Kiron warned that unless the legitimate demands of workers are fulfilled, the achievements of the July revolution could be lost. He urged political parties to clearly commit to fair wages and worker rights in their election manifestos, ahead of the upcoming national polls. Kiron claimed that after the fall of the Awami League government, both local and foreign vested interests tried to destabilise the garments sector, and that provocateurs behind labour unrest often had no actual ties to worker communities. “Much of the aid received from home and abroad for victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy was misappropriated by the previous government insiders and their beneficiaries at the time,” he alleged. As part of the celebration of the May Day-2025, the debaters of Tejgaon College emerged victorious, defeating the debaters of Daffodil International University in the shadow parliament organised by Debate for Democracy.

Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday said he will request the home ministry to issue red alerts against the fugitive owners of six garment factories for failing to clear workers’ dues. “We discussed about six specific garment factories today — all of them have defaulted and pledged to pay the workers. Questions have been raised about how they will make the payments. We made it clear that the government or Bangladesh Bank will not provide any more funds. It’s up to them to decide how they’ll arrange the money,” the adviser said after a meeting at the secretariat. The adviser named the six factories — TNZ, Mahmud Denim, Style Craft, Dird Group, Generation Next, and Roar Fashion — as those that failed to fulfil their commitments. “There was unrest around these factories until Eid,” he added. He noted that many of the owners are reportedly absconding. “Some claim the owners are abroad, some say they’re in ICU, and others don’t know where they are. We’re requesting the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue red alerts against each of them,” he said adding that most of the owners are missing — the owner, the owner’s wife, their son — none are around. Sakhawat further said meetings will be held on Thursday [tomorrow] and again on April 28 with the concerned factories and their respective banks. Discussions will focus on whether they can liquidate assets to pay the dues, and if not, what alternative actions can be taken in coordination with Bangladesh Bank, the finance ministry, and the labour ministry. CIC orders bank account freezing of ad agency giant Asiatic He mentioned that the owners had committed to clearing dues by May 7 or 8. “They must pay the money. If they have to sell assets, they should. For those who are abroad, arrangements will be made to secure power of attorney through contacts to facilitate the sale of their assets,” he said. The adviser emphasised the need to verify whether the statements provided by banks and the factory owners align. “Some banks have extended excessive loans. We’ve asked Bangladesh Bank to investigate how this happened. Their representatives will be asked whether any investigation has been carried out, and if so, what progress has been made.” He also mentioned that some bank officials have already been identified for allegedly irregular lending practices. “Actions will be suggested against defaulters, and deadlines will be set to complete investigations,” he added.