Garment factory owners are considering the indefinite closure of around 200 factories across Ashulia, Jamgora and Hemayetpur in Dhaka district under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, as ongoing labour unrest continues to disrupt production.

An initial decision on the proposed shutdown was taken at an emergency meeting on Wednesday (November 11). However, factory owners are expected to make a final decision at a meeting of all BGMEA members to be held on Saturday (November 14).

A BGMEA leader, requesting anonymity, told Daily Waadaa that several factory owners at Wednesday's meeting urged the association president to consider shutting down all factories in the Ashulia industrial belt rather than closing one or two factories at a time.

"Workers are continuing their protests and refusing to work, resulting in production disruptions. Some owners believe that instead of shutting down factories individually, it would be better to declare a general holiday across the entire industrial belt," the leader said.

He added that the BGMEA president had advised factory owners to wait and monitor the situation until Saturday, when members would meet again to make a final decision. Senior government officials are also expected to attend the meeting, he said.

At Wednesday's meeting, factory owners also reported that some workers were entering factories but refusing to work, while others were marking their attendance before leaving the premises. Several factories have remained unable to operate for nearly two weeks, while some owners have already issued closure notices under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act, he added.

Dr Rashid Ahamed Hossaini, Director of BGMEA, told Waadaa that the association would hold a meeting with its president and general members on Saturday to discuss the proposed wage structure, the possibility of indefinite factory closures in unrest-hit areas and ways to overcome the ongoing crisis.

"On Saturday, we will discuss the proposed pay structure, the indefinite closure of factories in areas where unrest is continuing, and possible ways to get out of this crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, production was suspended at 143 garment factories in Ashulia, Jamgora and Hemayetpur on Wednesday (November 11), according to media reports. Workers at several factories reported for duty but refused to work. Some marked their attendance before leaving, while others staged work stoppages.

Several factories also reported incidents of vandalism, with production at some establishments remaining suspended for up to 11 consecutive days.

Separately, seven garment factories in Savar and Ashulia have been declared closed indefinitely under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. The affected factories include three units of Arunima Group, three of Newage Group and one operated by Jeans Manufacturing Company Limited.

The unrest also spread to Gazipur on Thursday (November 12), when around 1,500 garment workers from six to eight factories blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakair, demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka.

The workers staged the blockade around 10:00am after refusing to join work at their respective factories, including Islam Garments and Standard Garments, disrupting traffic on the busy highway.

Industriall Bangladesh Council General Secretary Salahuddin Sopon told Waadaa that continued protests were not justified while the government-formed wage board was actively working to determine a revised pay structure.

"The ongoing unrest is not acceptable when a wage board has already been formed and is working quickly. The wage board should be given time to complete its task," he said.

He added that workers would have legitimate grounds to protest if the wages fixed by the board failed to meet their expectations.

Meanwhile, the workers' representative on the wage board has proposed a minimum monthly wage of 32,000 taka for entry-level garment workers. The employers' representative has been asked to submit a counterproposal within four working days, which will be placed at the board's next meeting scheduled for November 16.