Around 40 garment factories in the Savar-Ashulia industrial belt have been closed indefinitely amid workers' unrest over various demands, including a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
Closure notices were put up at the factory gates on Saturday, citing ongoing worker protests, demands for higher wages, violence, unauthorised work stoppages and deteriorating law and order as reasons for the decision.
The notices said the prevailing situation had made it impossible to continue normal factory operations.
Workers reported to several factories in Ashulia on Saturday morning as usual. However, employees at some facilities refused to work and remained idle, prompting the authorities to suspend operations.
At around 1pm, Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said around 40 factories in the Savar-Ashulia industrial belt had been shut due to the prevailing unrest.
Some factories had been closed under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, while others had announced indefinite closures, he said. Another seven to eight factories suspended operations on Saturday after workers refused to work.
A factory owned by Losaka Group in the Jirabo Pukurpar area of Ashulia has also been shut indefinitely.
In its closure notice, the factory authorities said unrest over wage demands in Ashulia and other parts of the country had made it impossible to maintain normal operations.
Citing concerns over worker safety, factory property and overall security, the authorities announced the suspension of all operations from Saturday, November 14, until further notice. The reopening date will be announced later.
A female operator at Beek Knit Limited said her factory had also been closed following an incident at a neighbouring factory.
"There was trouble at a neighbouring factory. After its workers were dismissed, outsiders arrived, broke down our office gate and assaulted security personnel. That is why our factory has been kept closed," she said.
Khairul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweaters Workers Trade Union Centre, said the problems were limited to around 12 to 14 factories and could be resolved if the specific grievances were addressed.
He said workers had long been facing issues such as unpaid wages, excessive workloads and mistreatment, while external troublemakers had exploited their accumulated grievances to fuel unrest.
Mintu also alleged that factory owners were taking advantage of the situation and urged the government to ensure that no workers were laid off from the factories that had announced closures.
