Beximco Industrial Park authority cleared all overdue wages for October on Monday. The payment was made after weeks of protests by workers demanding their unpaid salaries.
A Beximco employee, Rashed Ahmed, confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that they received the wage deposit confirmation SMS at around 7pm.
He also mentioned that the authority urged them to return to work on Tuesday.
Previously, on November 14, the workers started protesting, demanding their wages.
On Tuesday, to resolve the recent labour unrest at Beximco Ltd, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, in collaboration with the Finance Division, provided financial assistance to clear the outstanding wages for October 2024.
On Thursday evening, the authorities began sending text messages to many workers informing them that wages have been paid. The situation was normal the following Friday and Saturday. However, after waiting all day on Sunday, the workers who had not received the messages blocked the road again in the evening.
However, on Monday Beximco cleared the rest of the due wages.
Govt forms advisory council committee
On Sunday, the government formed an advisory council committee to review the labour and business situation of Beximco Industrial Park.
The cabinet division formulated the six-member advisory council committee, which included Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, adviser, Ministry of Shipping, and Ministry of Labour and Employment as convenor.
The committee will formulate recommendations for immediate, medium-term, and permanent solutions to resolve the workers' grievances in the establishments of Beximco Industrial Park.
No worker unrest in RMGs
Manufacturers of ready-made garments (RMG) reported on Monday that operations at factories in major industrial hubs such as Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, and Dhaka are running at full capacity.
According to sources, only the Beximco factories were closed on Monday in Gazipur’s Chakrabarty area. Workers demanded their October wages and allowances, which led them to block the Chandra-Nabinagar highway until 4:30pm.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Mohiuddin Rubel, former director of the BGMEA, said that as the issues with Beximco are resolved, the overall situation will normalize soon.
“Beximco is a big company. As they have begun paying the arrears, it will be very positive for the sector. We hope that the problems with the sector will be normal soon,” he said, adding that they also welcomed the advisory council committee formed by the government to resolve Beximco's labour issues.
Moreover, factories in Chittagong, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi belt were also operating without any unrest.
On Monday, 99.75% of the 397 factories in Savar and Ashulia remained operational. In Gazipur, 100% of the 870 factories were functioning, and in the DMP area, 100% of 300 factories were operational.
Nationally, 99.95% of factories, or 2,092 out of 2,093, factories operated normally.