At least 70 readymade garment factories in Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur suspended production on Wednesday amid workers’ protests over various demands.
Industry insiders said that of the 70 factories, 30 were located in Ashulia industrial zone and 40 in Gazipur industrial zone.
Deputy inspector general of Industrial Police for operation and crime Mohd Ashrafuzzaman said that some owners did not open their factories for fear of unrest and many others remained shut as they had no work.
He said that additional members from the police and other law enforcement agencies were deployed to ensure safety of the factories.
‘No untoward incident happened today (Wednesday),’ he said.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association secretary general Md Faizur Rahman said that some factories declared general holiday, some shutdown after starting operation in the morning, and some remained shut under the ‘no work no pay’ provision stated in Section 13(1) of the labour act.
Witnesses said that several hundred workers of Birds Group factories continued their blockade on Dhaka-Tangail Highway demanding arrears. The agitated workers took to the streets on Monday to press their demand and left the highway at noon on Wednesday as the army and police assured them to get payment soon.
Workers of Skyline and Generation Next factories, among others, went to the factories but did not join production. The management later declared holiday and workers left the factories, said the industrial police.
BGMEA officials said that in Ashulia, one factory, Anjuman Design Ltd, remained shut under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act.
¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· correspondent in Gazipur reported that several hundred people blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the district pressing several demands.
Earlier, the protesters targeted several factories in the Bogra Chowdhury Bari area, throwing brick chips and urging their fellow workers to join the movement, which led to the closure of several factories.
Gazipur industrial police superintendent Sarwar Alam said that some 40 factories suspended production amid unrest in that industrial zone.
In Ashulia, Birds Group authorities announced the closure of the factory on August 27 and signed an agreement with the workers to pay their wages and benefits by September 30.
But on September 29, the factory authorities issued a notice postponing the payment date by three months.
This notice prompted workers to take to the streets once more, blocking the Nabinagar-Chandra highway on Monday morning, causing thousands of vehicles to remain stranded for hours.
Bangladesh Workers’ Front in a statement on Wednesday asked the government to settle down labour unrest through dialogue and not by using excessive force.
They also demanded justice of the victim worker who was killed in Ashulia during the unrest.
Labour secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman told reporters that the overall situation in the garment sector, including the prevailing dissatisfaction of the garment workers, was being monitored and expressed hope that the situation would take a positive turn very soon.