Factory authorities had hoped that unrest in the garment sector, fuelled by internal worker clashes and street protests, would subside after they agreed to meet the workers' demands. However, the ongoing turmoil is raising fresh concerns among the owners.
Labour organizations are also concerned, questioning whether the promises made can truly be implemented, while worrying about the impact of prolonged factory closures. If the situation is not brought under control quickly, they fear even more difficulties ahead.
Workers of Birds Group demanding overdue wages withdrew a road blockade after 52 hours on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway in Savar, Dhaka, on Wednesday following police assurances.
Ashulia police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakkar said police had convinced the workers to leave the highway by promising to arrange discussions between them and the factory owners.
In Gazipur, workers blocked a highway on Wednesday, protesting for the reinstatement of dismissed workers and demanding the hiring of more male workers. Their protest on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway disrupted traffic, forcing the closure of 10 nearby factories to avoid further unrest.
Interviews with workers from areas affected by two weeks of protests revealed that many workers are frustrated by various issues, one of which is the application of Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act. This law allows factory owners to partially or fully close a unit in response to illegal strikes, with participating workers not being entitled to wages during the closure.
Many factories with overdue salaries have invoked this provision, leading to frustration among the workers, especially in smaller factories where they feel more vulnerable.
Additionally, tensions have escalated between male and female workers in some factories, with male workers claiming discrimination in favour of female hires, demanding an end to this perceived bias.
On September 14, in a meeting at the BGMEA office in Uttara, factory owners warned that they would have to close factories if the unrest continued.
While most owners are relieved that factories have reopened, they now face new concerns. Several owners expressed doubts about their ability to implement wage increases and the promised 10% annual increment, fearing further unrest if they could not fulfil these commitments.
They said they were also worried about security, with reports of sudden outbreaks of chaos within factories.
Abul Hossain, president of the Dhaka chapter of the Workers Party Of Bangladesh, commented on the continued unrest, saying not all factories were in the same situation. “Many small factories are unable to meet the 18-point charter of demands, and workers fear greater discrimination as a result.”
He added that wage arrears must be paid, and arbitrary layoffs must stop.
Abul said while workers were now more aware of their rights and that owners’ wealth and status had increased, the relationship between the two sides had not improved.
He said workers were being forced to take to the streets because the owners were misusing laws like Section 13(1), shutting down factories by portraying the workers' movements as sabotage, subversion and a threat to markets.
Meanwhile, BGMEA Director Md Mohiuddin Rubel told this correspondent that continued instability would harm the entire sector.
He said financial losses were inevitable for factories forced to close, and the reputational damage would be even harder to recover from.
Although the exact financial toll was still unclear, Mohiuddin cautioned that without support from banks, the situation could worsen significantly.