Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called an emergency meeting with several ministers and advisers to discuss the escalating unrest in the readymade garment (RMG) sector over workers' demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
The meeting is likely to be held after Maghrib prayers on Sunday (November 1), according to sources at the Prime Minister's Office.
The prime minister has urgently summoned six to seven ministers and advisers, including the home minister and labour minister, to discuss ways to address workers' demands and bring them back to work, the sources said.
The move comes amid violent protests in Mirpur, Ashulia and Gazipur, where garment workers have been demanding a new minimum wage structure.
The situation escalated on Sunday as protesters set fire to a police box in Gazipur, prompting the deployment of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel.
In Mirpur, agitated workers clashed with police and set fire to police vehicles beneath the Mirpur-11 metro rail station. Clashes and chases between workers and law enforcers were also reported in Ashulia.
More than 100 factories in Dhaka and surrounding areas remained closed amid the unrest.
Meanwhile, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury cancelled his scheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates in view of the situation.
Earlier on Sunday, the government formed a Minimum Wage Board to review wages for garment workers.
Announcing the formation of the board at the Secretariat around 11:30am, the minister said it would begin work soon.
"We hope the board will convene at the earliest and carry this forward to a stage," he told journalists.
He expressed hope that workers would end their street protests and return to factories following the formation of the board.
The minister, however, criticised factory authorities for declaring holidays at several factories despite assurances from worker representatives that employees would remain at their workplaces after the announcement.
He said worker leaders had earlier requested employees to stay inside factories, assuring them that the government would form the wage board on Sunday.
Ariful also alleged that workers at some factories had been misinformed that the wage board had not been announced, despite the government's confirmation.
He further alleged that several political organisations were deliberately attempting to create instability amid the labour unrest.
