Nearly 500 factories shut as garment workers’ protests continue

Around 500 garment factories in Gazipur and Ashulia remained closed on Tuesday as protests over wages entered a fourth consecutive day, with fresh clashes between workers and police in Dhaka’s Mirpur disrupting metro rail services.

"The situation is slightly better than yesterday but closure would exceed 500. By evening I suspect it will match yesterday's number (600)”, a vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told Daily Waadaa. 

In Mirpur, garment workers took to the streets again on Tuesday morning, blocking roads and clashing with police as they continued their demonstrations.

The unrest forced authorities to suspend train stops at Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-11 metro rail stations on security grounds. Metro trains continued running between Uttara and Motijheel, skipping the two stations.

Workers also set fire to discarded wood and bamboo beneath the Mirpur-11 metro station, disrupting traffic in the area.

In Gazipur, workers attempted to block roads at several locations, but police dispersed them and kept roads clear, said Amjad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police.

In Ashulia, rallies and road blockades took place at different locations during the morning, with some incidents of arson, an additional superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police told Waadaa. 

Police used force to clear the roads and dispersed workers attempting to shut down factories, he said, adding that around 70 factories had declared holidays in the industrial area.

Garment workers have been protesting for several days, calling for a minimum wage of 30,000 taka amid rising living costs.

Demonstrations have spread across major garment manufacturing hubs, disrupting factory operations and traffic.

More than 100 people, including five workers’ leaders, have been arrested in connection with the protests as of Tuesday.

The government formed a six-member wage board on Sunday to review the existing wage structure and recommend a new minimum wage.

Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury announced the formation of the six-member board issuing two separate notifications appointing representatives of employers, workers and neutral parties to review the existing wage structure and recommend a new minimum wage.

The notifications instructed the chairman of the Minimum Wage Board to initiate the process of determining the minimum wage for garment workers in consultation with representatives of employers, workers and neutral members.

BGB deployed

Twelve platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in Gazipur, Narayanganj and other nearby industrial areas to maintain law and order amid labour unrest.

The force is also monitoring the situation on the ground in real time using drones and body-worn cameras.

BGB Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam shared the information in a statement sent to the media on Tuesday.

He said 10 platoons of BGB personnel are currently deployed in the Shafipur, Kaliakair and Konabari areas of Gazipur, while two platoons are stationed in Chashara, Narayanganj.

The situation in Ashulia, Mirpur and other relevant areas is also being closely monitored, he added.

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