BGMEA reports disruptions at 529 garment factories amid wage protests

Production was suspended at 529 garment factories across Bangladesh on Sunday as workers took to the streets in Mirpur, Gazipur and Savar-Ashulia, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. Nearly 987,000 workers left their workplaces amid work stoppages and road blockades.

The figures were released by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). According to the industry body, it has 2,134 member factories across five industrial zones. The unrest was most severe in Gazipur and Mymensingh, followed by Mirpur, Savar-Ashulia and the Jirani area.

Workers began gathering on the streets early in the morning, blocking major roads in several areas. Clashes with police and incidents of arson were also reported in some places. Factory authorities announced closures one after another, citing security concerns.

Some protesters said rising prices of essential commodities had made it increasingly difficult for workers to support their families on existing wages. Some workers in Ashulia also alleged that male employees were facing discrimination because factories were giving priority to female workers. The current minimum monthly wage for garment workers is Tk 12,500.

Meanwhile, the government formed a new six-member wage board on Sunday to review workers' pay. However, the announcement failed to ease tensions in the industrial areas.

Police, industrial police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in joint teams to bring the situation under control. Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amzad Hossain said around 100 factories in the district and metropolitan area had declared a general holiday for Sunday.

The BGMEA held a meeting with factory owners at its Uttara office in Dhaka on Sunday. After the meeting, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu said the association hoped normal production would resume at factories from Monday following the formation of the new wage board.

However, factory owners have decided to keep factories closed under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act if workers fail to return to work.