Garment workers resume work at Savar-Ashulia industrial belt

Normalcy is gradually returning to the industrial areas of Savar and Ashulia after several days of unrest over demands for higher wages, with workers returning to factories on Thursday morning (November 5).

Industrial police said the law and order situation in the areas remained calm, as workers joined their workplaces on time and production resumed at factories across the industrial belt.

According to industrial police, workers in Savar, Dhamrai and Ashulia returned to work peacefully from the morning. Production also resumed at factories in the industrial zones, including the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).

A visit to the areas showed workers arriving at factories from early morning, either by factory transport or on foot. Attendance at factory gates appeared normal.

Security has been tightened across the industrial belt to prevent any untoward incidents. Additional members of law enforcement agencies, alongside Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, have been deployed in front of key factories, including those in Hemayetpur, Savar. Special BGB teams are conducting regular patrols and monitoring the situation. Mobile court operations are also continuing.

Garment workers have been protesting for several days, demanding an increase in their monthly wages. Clashes between workers and police have also been reported in major industrial areas, including Gazipur, Hemayetpur, Narayanganj and Mirpur.

Amid the unrest, the government formed a new six-member wage board on November 1. Representatives of both workers and factory owners have agreed to finalise a new wage structure by December. If the process proceeds as planned, garment workers will begin receiving higher wages from January.

The minimum monthly wage for workers in the sector was last set at Tk 12,500 in December 2023.