Labour unrest flared up again in the Ashulia industrial zone on Thursday as garment workers left their factories to press for higher wages, prompting more than 100 factories to suspend operations and disrupting traffic on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road.
Workers initially reported for duty at around 8am, registering their attendance by punching their ID cards. They later left their workplaces, gathered outside other factories and urged workers inside to join the protests.
As the unrest spread, more than 100 factories declared general holidays, and workers took to the streets.
The protesters occupied the Abdullahpur-Baipail road, disrupting traffic. Police intervened at several points to disperse them, after which groups of workers moved to nearby side roads.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Savar industrial zone remained relatively calm on Thursday morning, a day after workers blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway and set fire to a police van and a motorcycle.
Workers said the Wage Board Commission had announced that a wage increase would take effect in December, but the amount had not been disclosed. They said the uncertainty had contributed to the continuation of their protests.
Security was tightened across the industrial zone to prevent further unrest. Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed, while police armoured vehicles were stationed at key points.
Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mominul Islam Bhuiyan said the overall situation in the Ashulia area under his unit's jurisdiction was stable.
He said 70 of the 1,863 factories under the unit's jurisdiction had suspended operations for the day, while the rest remained open.
According to Mominul, some people began throwing bricks and stones in the Jamgara area after workers from several factories were dismissed. When police detained some of them, others attacked officers and vandalised police vehicles.
Police then used sound grenades and tear gas to bring the situation under control, he said.
He added that around 2,500 workers had recently held a peaceful march from Jirabo to Envoy factory to protest the killing of a worker in Gazipur.
Mominul said Industrial Police did not have a confirmed figure for those detained in connection with Thursday's incidents and that no one was in their custody at the time of his statement.
He said five BGB platoons, equipped with armoured personnel carriers, had been deployed in the area.
Local police and Industrial Police were coordinating their operations, and legal action was being taken where necessary, he added.
Mominul said most workers wanted to return to their jobs but alleged that outsiders were provoking them and disrupting factory operations, including through social media.
He said the government had formed a Minimum Wage Board and that the new wage structure was scheduled to take effect from January. He added that factory owners were committed to implementing the new minimum wage and that law enforcement agencies were urging workers to return to work.
The police official also said authorities were trying to identify people allegedly inciting unrest through social media. He claimed several people had been detained and information had been obtained during questioning, but declined to disclose their identities, citing the ongoing investigation.
He further alleged that outsiders were using workers as a front to create unrest and sharing information on social media about protest locations and incidents of vandalism. He said it was not clear whether the individuals had any political backing.
