25 RMG factories closed in Savar, Ashulia

Factory owners have downed shutters in at least 25 readymade garment factories in Savar and Ashulia as the workers continued to agitate for acceptance of the monthly wage fixed by a government-endorsed wage board.

Police said workers from these factories walked out on Sunday morning as they had been doing over the past several days, forcing the owners to declare holiday for Sunday.

Workers have been agitating for quite some time now demanding a minimum monthly salary of Tk 8,100 from their current Tk 3,000.

On Nov 4, a government-appointed wage board prescribed the minimum wage at Tk 5,300 triggering protests from the owners who even threatened to close down if forced to pay the proposed salary.

Industrial Police-1 of Ashulia zone Inspector Abdus Sattar said workers of Southers Fashions Limited started agitating on Sunday morning.

Later, they walked out of the factory at Zirabo and started pelting nearby factories with stones.

Workers from nearby factories joined the protesters prompting 20 factories in the area to declare holiday for the day.

Several other factories in Jamgarha, Narsinghpor, Nischantapur, and Hemayatpur also called it a day due to workers’ agitation.

Authorities at these factories declined to comment on the unrest when approached.

Meanwhile, BGMEA representative Arshad Jamal, one of the negotiators on the wage board, said the owners were in “process of accepting workers’ demand” for Tk 5,300 monthly minimum wage.

He said the official announcement would come later.