Ashulia RMG factories closed on Wednesday

RMG factory owners have decided to keep factories at Ashulia industrial belt shut on Wednesday amid a fresh wave of labour unrest.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 Nov 2013, 01:55 PM
Updated : 12 Nov 2013, 03:40 PM

Their platform BGMEA said that the decision was made keeping security concerns in view.

Earlier on Tuesday, RMG workers in Savar and Ashulia demonstrated for fast implementation of the minimum wage and clashed with police which left more than 100 injured.

Authorities of almost 150 factories closed down their units following the clash.

Former BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedi told bdnews24.com that a meeting on Tuesday decided to keep factories at Ashulia closed due to security concerns.

“The last two days saw unrest. It was the same today (Tuesday). So we decided to keep factories closed on Wednesday,” said former BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedi, speaking to bdnews24.com.

Murshedy, Convener of BGMEA’s Ashulia Zone wing, said discussion with labour leaders were going on in a bid to end the crisis.

There are 250 factories in Ashulia manufacturing 18 to 20 percent of the garment exported from Bangladesh, according to Murshedi.

The BGMEA issued a statement to this end but its president said it was not the trade body’s decision.

“This is not the BGMEA’s decision. Those who have factories at Ashulia decided on it after a meeting,” BGMEA President Atikul Islam told bdnews24.com.

Islam also has factories at Ashulia.

RMG workers at Gazipur also had taken to the streets since Sunday demanding fast implementation of the minimum wage.
Quite a few factories have closed down in the last two days in Gazipur due to the unrest.

The government had formed a wage board in June this year to revise the RMG workers current minimum wage at Tk 3,000.

On Nov 4, the wage board scaled up the minimum pay to Tk 5,300 in its recommendation.

The proposed minimum wage of Tk 5,300 includes a basic salary of Tk 3,200, house rent of Tk 1,280, medical allowance of Tk 320, conveyance allowance of Tk 200, and a food subsidy of Tk 300.

Labour Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju had said on Monday that the minimum wage would be announced by Nov 21.