Apparel makers have alleged that a vested quarter was trying to influence garment workers to agitate ahead of the national elections.
"A vested quarter is trying to make the country unstable, ahead of the national election," said president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Md Sidduqur Rahman. It is trying to "influence innocent workers to take to the streets with demonstrations."
Urging the workers to withdraw their agitation, he said they should come up with their demands, if any, after the implementation of the recently-announced wages.
He made the allegations on Wednesday at a press conference organised at the BGMEA headquarters in the city's Karwan Bazar.
The BGMEA president also noted that workers of around 50 factories, situated mostly in Ashulia and Gazipur, have been observing work abstention for the last three to four days.
There were no conversations or activities of workers or their organisations about wages, though the wage board was announced a few months ago, he said.
"Then why they came out to the streets all on a sudden before the elections," he added.
Mr Rahman urged the law enforcement agencies to detain the people who are responsible for influencing the workers with ill-motives.
He noted the garment makers have tripled minimum wages of workers and increased 381 per cent from 2010 to 2018.
The BGMEA president said it is illogical to demonstrate before the implementation of the wage board.
The factories will start implementing the wage board from this month, which will be given to the workers by January 7 to 10, he added.
Among others, former FBCCI president and managing director of Hamim Group AK Azad attended the programme.
Meanwhile, UNB reported, several hundred workers of different garment factories have been staging demonstration in front of their respective factories in Konabari and Kashimpur areas demanding raise in their wages since Wednesday.
The workers went on work abstention from their respective workplaces at around 9 am and started staging demonstration, said Emdad Hossain, officer-in-charge of Konabari Police Station, quoting witnesses.
The agitated workers took to the street and later tried to put up barricade on Dhaka-Tangail highway, but police moved them away from the spot, the OC added.
