Fifty-nine factories – which were shut down due to the workers' strike – have reopened as per BGMEA's instructions.
Productions have restarted peacefully after workers resumed their work since the morning. No untoward incident has been reported from Ashulia's industrial belt as yet.
Police have been deployed in front of factories as a precaution to avoid any incident. Meanwhile, police and RAB are on patrol in the Ashulia-Baipail-Abdullahpur highway.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday, BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman made an announcement to reopen the factories at an emergency press conference at his office in Dhaka.
Workers had been demonstrating since December 11 in Ashulia – demanding an increase in minimum wage to Tk 16,000 from Tk 5,300.
Terming the workers’ demands illegal, owners of 59 RMG factories had shut down their manufacturing units in line with Article 13(1) of the Labour Act on December 20.
At least 278 workers of two RMG factories in the industrial belt were terminated and four cases were filed against over 1,500 workers for “instigating the labour unrest.”
At least 26 people – including workers and labour leaders – have so far been picked up by the law enforcers in connection with the labour unrest.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
