Garment workers on Friday demanded that authorities pay their wages and Eid bonuses on time, reopen closed factories, ensure women’s safety and equal participation in the decision-making process.
The demands were raised at a meeting organized by Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity at Ashulia in Savar, ahead of International Women’s Day.
According to the organizers, since International Women’s Day falls on March 8, the meeting and rally were scheduled on Friday—coinciding with the weekly holiday—to facilitate workers’ participation.
The meeting was chaired by Sabina Yasmin, women’s affairs secretary of the central committee of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity. Taslima Akhtar, president of the organization, delivered the keynote speech.
Other speakers included Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, general secretary of the organization, and Rokonuzzaman Moni, executive coordinator of the Ashulia branch of the People’s Solidarity Movement. After the meeting, a rally was held, passing through Nabinagar-Chandra Highway via Nabinagar-Mukhi Lane and concluding at Ashulia Bypass corner.
During the meeting, speakers urged authorities to ensure women’s safety across the country, including industrial areas, and emphasized that workers in the export sector must be given opportunities to participate in decision-making.
The speakers also noted that while government employees and other professionals enjoy six months of paid maternity leave, workers in top export sectors have not yet received the same benefit.
They urged the government, together with employers, to extend six months of paid maternity leave to these workers and provide proper breastfeeding corners and quality daycare facilities at factories.
Taslima Akhtar, president of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity, said that over 300 factories inside and outside DEPZ have been closed, leaving many workers unemployed and struggling. She cited closures of factories such as South China, Gold Tex, and Actor Space in Ashulia DEPZ, among others.
She called on the government and factory owners to take immediate steps to reopen these factories and reduce employment uncertainty. She added that all pending wages and Eid bonuses must be paid within the government-specified deadlines—seven working days for wages and by March 12 for bonuses.
