The majority of the readymade garment (RMG) manufacturing units of Gazipur’s Konabari and Kashimpur areas resumed operations as the workers of these areas wanted to join production procedures peacefully.
However, still three garment factories in the area are closed and production activities in the other factories are going on normally.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) revealed it in a statement regarding the labour situation in the RMG sector.
Earlier, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said on November 12 that the RMG factories would only reopen if workers joined the production procedures peacefully by shunning the ongoing unrest.
In the statement, Faruque Hassan said that in responding to the call of BGMEA, the workers of the Kashimpur and Konabari areas joined work peacefully.
“We are also continuing discussions with the workers of the mentioned three garment factories in Kashimpur and Konabari areas. If they want to join work, the factories will be opened,” he added.
He also said that around 99 RMG manufacturing units in Ashulia and Mirpur are still closed and they are discussing with these factories as well.
“If the workers want to work, the factories will be opened when the situation is normal,” he added.
However, production procedures are going on normally in other major RMG industrial hubs like Tongi, Gazipur, Sreepur, Mawna, Mymensingh, Savar EPZ, Narayanganj, DMP, and Chittagong.
The media has played a very important role in the industry by spreading positive public opinion about keeping the factories open to keep the country's economy running, he added.
He also said that they believe the workers, the workers’ organizations, the government, local political leaders, administration, industrial police all law enforcement agencies and the local public had unanimous cooperation to advance the industry which generated 4.4 million employment.
All stakeholders have kept the industry alive by supporting the industry by fostering solidarity towards the industry from their respective positions, he added.
As of November 12, 130 factories have been shut under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act to avoid any vandalism due to the ongoing unrest in the sector which has started since October 23 demanding higher minimum wage for RMG workers.
Protests in major RMG industrial hubs like Mirpur, Savar, Ashulia, Konabari, Gazipur, Kashimpur started on October 23 and turned violent which resulted in road blockades, vandalism, torching of the factories and other infrastructures and also claimed lives of four workers.
The government fixed Tk12,500 as the minimum wage for the workers at the last meeting of the Minimum Wages Board on November 7 and issued a gazette notification on the draft proposal on November 12.
