Union leaders of the garment sector yesterday decided to withdraw their work abstention programme at the factories in Ashulia from tomorrow, as they agreed to hold a meeting with factory owners this month to place their demands. The decision came at a meeting of the union leaders with Mujibul Haque, state minister for labour and employment, at his secretariat in Dhaka. At least 10,000 workers of 10-12 factories had been observing work abstention over the last few days to press home their demands, including a hike in salaries, Haque told The Daily Star by phone. “We told the union leaders to place their demands properly so we can resolve the disputes through discussion. We will hold a meeting with labour leaders either this month or next month,” he said. “The workers are observing work abstention without any valid reason as everything is going normal,” said Siddiqur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. “If they have any valid demand we can talk to them to resolve the disputes. We are ready to hold a meeting with them,” Rahman said. Ashulia is an industrial hub for garment factories, where thousands of workers are employed.
