The Awami League has strongly condemned Nazma Akter, president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, accusing the long-time labour figure of abandoning RMG workers’ causes after the change in government and of now dismissing legitimate grievances as “political.”
In February 2023, under the then-Awami League administration, Akter publicly demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk 23,000 for RMG workers. Appearing on television, she highlighted the impact of soaring commodity prices on low-paid workers and sharply criticised the government and factory owners.
Two-and-a-half years later, the same leader has stated that recent unrest and incidents of sabotage carried out in the name of RMG workers are not genuine labour movements but politically motivated.
Awami League spokespersons and the party’s labour wing argue that this reversal is not coincidental. They point to the sharp deterioration in the economy since mid-2024: stalled investment, widespread factory closures, and rising joblessness and food insecurity among garment workers. In this context, Akter’s claim that “there is no unrest among workers” is seen as an attempt to downplay the pressure workers continue to face.
Critics within the Awami League further allege that Akter has historically taken a conciliatory approach toward factory owners. They say she aligned with workers during periods of intense agitation under the previous government but has now echoed the current authorities’ narrative that links labour protests to the Awami League and external actors. Recent incidents — including the alleged police assault of a young male worker and attacks on female workers by political cadres — have drawn no public protest from her, the party notes.
The Awami League statement describes Akter’s current posture as a “cruel deception” of the workers she once claimed to represent. It accuses certain labour leaders of using the movement for personal and political advantage, including participation in overseas seminars and political events under the previous government, only to later label the same movement “political” under the new dispensation.
The party has called for the unmasking of what it terms “hired” labour leaders so that genuine demands for fair wages, job security and living conditions can be pursued without being dismissed as partisan activity. Garment workers’ organisations have long argued that the sector’s reliance on low-cost labour cannot indefinitely suppress basic needs for food, clothing and shelter, even while acknowledging the risk of losing export orders if wages rise sharply.
The statement comes amid continued reports of tension in the ready-made garment sector, which remains Bangladesh’s largest export earner. Neither Nazma Akter nor the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation has issued an immediate response to the Awami League’s allegations.