At least 318 garment factories shut amid worker protests

Protests by garment workers demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000 have spread across industrial zones in Bangladesh, disrupting traffic in several areas and prompting factory owners to declare general holidays at a number of facilities.

According to data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Sunday (November 1), a total of 318 garment factories across five industrial zones remained closed. As many as 702,255 workers left their workplaces without completing their duties.

BGMEA data showed that 68 of the 320 factories in areas under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) were closed. In the Mirpur area alone, 51,625 workers walked out of their factories.

In the Gazipur and Mymensingh industrial zones, 225 of 836 factories were shut, with 525,360 workers leaving their workplaces without working.

Meanwhile, 25 of the 441 factories in the Savar, Ashulia and Zirabo industrial zones remained closed. A total of 125,270 workers walked out of those factories.

The BGMEA said the five industrial zones have a combined total of 2,134 factories. Production was continuing at 1,816 of them, while the remaining 318 had been shut due to labour unrest.

Protesting workers said rising prices of essential commodities had made it increasingly difficult to meet household expenses with their existing wages. They are demanding that the minimum monthly wage be set at Tk 30,000. Some male workers also alleged discrimination, claiming that women were being given priority in recruitment and employment.

Additional Superintendent of Industrial Police Mahbubul Haque Sajib said factory owners had declared holidays to prevent untoward incidents. Police personnel were deployed in the field to maintain normalcy, he added.

Superintendent of Police Mominul Islam Bhuiyan of Ashulia Industrial Police-1 said police were on alert to prevent any unwanted situation. He added that the owners of several factories had suspended production.

Meanwhile, members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in key industrial areas of Gazipur to strengthen security. On Sunday, BGB personnel were seen on duty in Chandra and Palli Bidyut areas, Safipur, Konabari, Mouchak, Naojor and Bhogra Bypass.

The BGB said the deployment was aimed at maintaining law and order and ensuring public safety. Security measures in the industrial zones have been strengthened to prevent unrest over workers’ demands, including higher wages, from escalating into violence or other untoward incidents.

The force said its personnel would remain deployed in the designated areas until November 7 under the supervision of five executive magistrates from the Gazipur district administration.