Garment workers’ protests: At least 80 factories shut in Gazipur and Savar

Readymade garment workers staged protests in various areas of Savar and Gazipur, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on Sunday, pressing several demands, including an increase in the minimum wage to Tk 30,000. Amid the unrest, preliminary information indicates that at least 80 factories across the two districts have declared holidays.

The situation remained normal in the morning but began to deteriorate in Savar from midday. Police were deployed at various locations and outside factories to maintain law and order.

More than 50 factories in Savar declared holidays, said Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1.

According to witnesses and officials of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, most factories were operating normally from the morning. However, workers at Al-Muslim Apparels in Nishchintapur, factories belonging to the New Age Group and Trouser Line Ltd stopped work and remained inside their workplaces.

At around 10.45 am, a group of workers from several factories took up positions on the Abdullahpur–Baipail road in front of a factory belonging to the Sharmin Group in Narsinghpur, Ashulia. They chanted various slogans demanding higher wages.

At one point, industrial police asked the workers to move off the road and stand to one side. The workers subsequently moved to the roadside and urged employees of the Sharmin Group to join them.

Amid the developing situation, the Sharmin Group factory management declared a holiday at around 11.45 am. Several other factories in the area, including those belonging to the Ha-Meem Group and New Age Group, also declared holidays.

Khairul Mamun, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweaters Workers Trade Union Centre, told Prothom Alo that several workers, who had stopped working and remained inside their factories, had informed him that no representatives of the management had spoken to them about their demands.

As a result, the workers were unclear about the situation. He said workers at factories that declare holidays because of work stoppages often take to the streets in frustration when they are not given information about their demands. They also try to persuade workers from other factories to join them.

Mamun called for the situation to be taken seriously and urged the authorities to engage with the workers promptly.

At around 10:00 am, Ashulia Industrial Police-1 made an announcement over a loudspeaker mounted on a police vehicle.

The announcement said, “Industrial Police have always stood by you in this industrial area, providing peace, order and security services. Industrial Police are always working alongside our brothers and sisters among the workers to help them secure their legitimate demands and rights…”

Amid the workers’ movement, a warehouse storing garment factory waste fabric and a pickup van were set on fire in Kaliakair, Gazipur. The incidents occurred in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of the upazila between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm today. At least 30 garment factories in the area declared holidays because of the protests.

In the morning, workers from several factories, including Korni Knit Composite and Knit Asia in Ratanpur, Kaliakair, did not report for work and gathered on the highway near Shafipur Bazar. They began protesting after marking their attendance at their factories. Several nearby factories subsequently declared holidays because of the demonstrations.

According to witnesses, a pickup van was set on fire in the Palli Bidyut area at around 11.30 am. The vehicle was gutted as fire service personnel were unable to reach the scene because of the workers’ movement.

A short while later, a warehouse storing garment waste fabric belonging to a garment factory named Tropical was set on fire in the same area. After receiving the report, a unit of the Kaliakair Fire Service attempted to reach the scene, but the protesting workers obstructed them.

Mohammad Tariqul Islam, station officer of the Kaliakair Fire Service, said they had received a report that a warehouse belonging to the Tropical factory in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area had been set on fire. However, they were unable to reach the scene because of the workers’ protests.

Amjad Hossain, superintendent of Industrial Police in Gazipur, said efforts were under way to bring the situation under control. At least 30 factories in different areas had declared holidays.