Dhaka, Nov 7 (IANS) Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia has blamed “instigation by competitor foreign countries” for the recurring violence in the country’s money-spinning garment sector.
Her accusation Friday came amid efforts by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to correct the problems in the ailing garment sector plagued by poor wages and working conditions and bad employer-employee relations.

The government this week moved to organise trade unions to allow for collective bargaining without resort to violence in the sector that is the country’s highest money-earner.

Three people were killed and hundreds injured in the last round of police-workers clash after an employer locked out without paying wages for three months.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)alleged a “foreign hand” in the trouble after Hasina ordered action against the erring employer.

Zia supported the employers’ viewpoint at the closing ceremony of Bangladesh Apparel & Textile Exposition 2009 (Batexpo), organised by BGMEA.

“Instigation by competitor foreign countries and external hands in the attempt to create anarchy in this sector will not be far-fetched,” The Daily Star quoted her as saying Friday.

But she asked BGMEA leaders to pay the workers the standard minimum wages in the first week of every month.

The “foreign conspiracy” charge is not new in Bangladesh.

When irate workers turned violent due to non-payment of wages in 2007 and caused arson in 200 garment factories, ministers in the then Zia government alleged a “foreign hand” for the trouble. India was cited as among the competitors working to harm Bangladesh’s garment export market.