29 Gazipur factories declare holidays

Authorities have announced holidays at 29 new garment factories in different areas of Gazipur, including Kaliakair, amid worker protests pushing for different demands, including a minimum wage of Tk 30,000.

Thirteen factories announced the decision on Saturday night and another 16 on Sunday morning.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent of Police Amjad Hossain told bdnews24.com that when workers tried to protest in some areas on Sunday morning, they were “removed”.

"Last night (Saturday night), 13 factories had announced they would be closed on Sunday. This morning, 16 more factories have announced holidays."

Workers arriving at the factory in the morning left after seeing the closure notices on the gates of these factories. Some were unsure about the closures even after waiting for an extended period.

Gazipur has seen several of unrest days due to ongoing road blockades, protests, and vandalism as workers demand a pay hike. Police, Special Response Battalion (SRB), Ansar, and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed to restore order.

Amid the ongoing protests, two major organisations of garment factory owners, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), held a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday and announced that if any factory experiences worker unrest or work stoppages, the owners will be forced to close the factory.

BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said, “After reviewing the overall situation and industrial safety, the owners of the factories affiliated with the BGMEA and BKMEA in the concerned area have been forced to take a difficult, but inevitable decision. Since the overall safety and production-friendly environment has not been maintained, it is not possible to keep these factories operational.

“As a result, the factories in the concerned region that have failed to carry out production activities due to the ongoing labour dissatisfaction will be forced to close indefinitely from the 15th of November as per Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act.”

Section 13(1) of the Labor Act states that due to an illegal strike in any branch or department of an organisation, the owner can partially or completely close that branch or organisation and in case of such a shutdown, the workers participating in the strike will not receive any wages.

Garment workers went on strike at the end of last month demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. The workers' protests in Dhaka, Mirpur, Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Narayanganj turned violent at one point. One worker died.

Garment workers also protested on Saturday by blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakair Upazila in Gazipur.

In response, owners declared closures of 40 ready-made garment factories in Savar's Ashulia industrial Area on Saturday. A day's holiday has been declared in seven more factories.

Amidst the worker unrest, the government formed a wage board for garment workers on Nov 1.

In the second meeting of the board on Nov 9, worker representatives proposed a minimum wage of Tk 32,000. The third meeting of the board is scheduled for Monday.