Garment factory owners may shut down their factories indefinitely from Sunday (November 15) if workers fail to return to work amid ongoing labour unrest, citing Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, which enforces the 'no work, no pay' provision, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan said on Saturday.

Factory owners in the affected industrial areas were facing difficulties in continuing production amid the unrest, Hasan said at a press briefing, following a meeting with leaders of the BGMEA and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

According to Mahmud Hasan, 55 factories had already been declared closed under Section 13(1) today, while another 147 factories suspended production as workers did not perform their duties.

The 147 factories that halted production employ around 300,000 workers, he added.

“Some workers inside factories are engaging in vandalism almost every day under the influence of outside instigation. They are neither working themselves nor allowing other workers to work. This is creating a chaotic situation inside factories, forcing general workers to leave their workplaces and, in some cases, join demonstrations and vandalism,” he said.

He added that the ongoing unrest was damaging the reputation of Bangladesh's garment industry and could eventually affect the country's economy.

“Following discussions with BGMEA and BKMEA leaders, factory owners have decided that if workers do not return to work, factories will be shut indefinitely from tomorrow, 15 November, under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006,” he said.

Responding to a question, the BGMEA president said they would attend the Minimum Wage Board meeting scheduled for Monday, and present their proposal on the workers' wage demands.

Earlier today, at least 47 garment factories in the Savar and Ashulia industrial belts were closed indefinitely amid ongoing labour unrest, while another 12 to 17 factories declared general holidays after workers failed to report for duty.

Superintendent of Police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan confirmed the closures to Daily Waadaa around 2:15pm.

He said no untoward incidents had been reported in the industrial areas today.

Meanwhile, vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur remained suspended for around an hour after garment workers blocked the road, demanding higher wages.

The demonstration took place despite the Minimum Wage Board for RMG workers having already held two meetings, with its next meeting scheduled for 16 November.

The blockade caused long tailbacks on both sides of the highway, leaving commuters stranded.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain told Daily Waadaa that around 4,000 to 5,000 workers from 16 to 17 garment factories gathered in the Palli Bidyut area in the morning.

He said workers initially refused to join work and staged demonstrations inside their respective factories before coming out onto the highway and blocking it at around 9:30am.

Several nearby factories subsequently declared a general holiday for the day amid the unrest.

After around an hour, industrial police and other law enforcement personnel cleared the highway and brought the situation under control, allowing vehicular movement to resume.

Additional personnel from industrial police, regular police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed across the industrial areas to maintain law and order.