Nearly 15 Gazipur factories shut indefinitely as wage protests continue
Nearly 15 garment factories in Gazipur have been shut indefinitely following fresh labour unrest on Sunday (November 15), as workers staged demonstrations demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain told Daily Waadaa that workers gathered in front of a factory in the Mouchak area of Kaliakair in the morning. They left the area around half an hour after law enforcement personnel arrived.
Isolated incidents of unrest were also reported in the Konabari and Jarun areas of Gazipur city.
In response, authorities declared nearly 15 factories in the Mouchak, Konabari and Palli Bidyut areas of Kaliakair closed indefinitely under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, which provides for the 'no work, no pay' provision.
Meanwhile, vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila remained suspended for around half an hour after workers from several garment factories blocked the road, demanding higher wages.
The blockade triggered long tailbacks on both sides of the highway, causing considerable inconvenience to commuters.
According to industrial police and local sources, workers have been staging demonstrations and work stoppages in different parts of Gazipur over the past few days, pressing for a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, among other demands.
The latest demonstrations came despite the Minimum Wage Board for RMG workers having already held two meetings, with its next meeting scheduled for 16 November.
Additional personnel from the industrial police, regular police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed across the industrial zones to maintain law and order and prevent further unrest.
The developments follow a decision by garment factory owners to shut down factories indefinitely from 15 November if ongoing labour unrest disrupts production or workers fail to report for duty.
At a press briefing yesterday (14 November), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan said factory owners in the affected areas were facing difficulties in continuing operations amid the unrest.
He said factories experiencing production disruptions due to labour unrest would be entitled to suspend operations under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006.
Meanwhile, a total of 25 platoons of law enforcement personnel have been deployed across the industrial areas to maintain security and protect factories.
The deployment includes 13 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), five platoons of Ansar and eight platoons of the Special Response Battalion (SRB), operating under the supervision of 25 executive magistrates.