Workers from several garment factories staged protests in Ashulia, Dhaka, on Saturday, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000, an end to blacklisting and other benefits.
Amid the unrest, at least 11 factories, including Nayem Knitwear Ltd., announced closures in the Kathgara area and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan confirmed the matter around 11am.
He said a police officer was injured after being hit by bricks and stones thrown by protesting workers. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to police, workers at Nayem Knitwear initially observed a work stoppage inside the factory in the morning. They later came out and began demonstrating.
At one point, the protesters threw bricks and stones at several nearby factories, triggering clashes and chases between the workers and police. The police officer was injured in the incident.
An official of a garment factory in the Kathgara Amtala area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most factories in the area, except two or three, had declared holidays.
“We are monitoring the situation and will take further decisions based on the circumstances,” he said.
