At least 12 garment factories in Ashulia Industrial Area, Savar, declared a general holiday on Wednesday amid ongoing agitation and strikes by workers dissatisfied with recent wage increments.
Industrial police said that while the workers refrained from causing any disturbances, many ceased work or walked out of factories, citing dissatisfaction with the revised wages.
Industry sources confirmed that employees from several factories, including Hamim Group, Sharmeen Group, Medlar, Next Collection, Al Muslim, and Setara Group, stopped work after arriving at their workplaces.
They demanded better pay increments and other benefits.
Some factories took different measures to address the unrest. NASA and Trouser Line declared closures under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act. Bando Design announced a general holiday. Workers of Hamim and Neet Asia walked out of their factories. Employees of New Age, Deco, Al Muslim, Ethical, and others staged sit-ins, refusing to work.
Several factories had already shut down operations on Tuesday following worker strikes. However, the exact number of currently closed factories remains unclear.
Superintendent of Police of Industrial Police-1 Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiya said: "The workers are dissatisfied with the increased salary and are stopping work. However, they are not engaging in any anarchy or chaos."
He confirmed that at least 12 factories had declared a general holiday due to halted operations.
This ongoing unrest highlights the need for effective negotiations between factory management and workers to resolve wage disputes and ensure smooth operations in one of the country’s key industrial zones.
