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The leaders of National Protection Alliance for Garments Workers and Industries (NPAGWI) has demanded immediate resignation of commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury for his alleged failure at the Hong Kong ministerial meeting to get duty and quota-free access for Bangladesh's readymade garments to the US market.
Addressing a press conference Saturday the NPAGWI leaders urged the government to sack the commerce minister and form a committee comprising representatives from civil society, trade union leaders, and factory owners for any international negotiation on apparel trade.
They also demanded fixation of minimum monthly wages at Tk 2,500 for a garment worker.
"The commerce minister has absolutely failed to utilise the WTO meeting in Hong Kong to get a duty and quota free market for our garments to US market due to his poor negotiation capacity," NPAGWI president Kamrul Hasan.
The press conference on "WTO Hong Kong ministerial meeting: the future of Bangladeshi garments and its workers" organised by NPAGWI at Shahid Asad Auditorium at Topkhana Road in the city Saturday. It was also addressed by Lovely Yasmin, general secretary of Textile Garments Workers' Federation and trade union leader Abul Hossain.
After the US categorisation of Bangladesh as a competitive exporting country and subsequent rejection of duty and quota-free access of the country's garment the future of 2.0 million garment workers, of whom more than 80 per cent are women, have become uncertain, said the president.
The leaders suggested the government and authorities of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to reduce their tour expenditure and spend the money on welfare of the workers.
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