Dhaka, Nov. 4 -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged garment workers to shun violence and return to work, suggesting that the BNP is behind violence during a campaign for a pay rise in the sector.

Speaking at the launch of Dhaka Metro Rail's Agargaon-Motijheel section on Saturday, Hasina said that during the BNP's rule from 1991 to 1996, the wage was only Tk 500 and the Awami League raised it when it came to power.

She said that the BNP did not increase the wage at all after returning to power in 2001, and the Awami League raised the pay after 2009.

Hasina called for patience among the RMG workers, noting that a wage board was working on their demands.

The prime minister warned that if the workers attack the factories and disrupt p...