Production resumed in most industrial units in Ashulia and Gazipur areas on Wednesday, following an improvement in labour situation after owners agreed to meet workers’ 18-point demand to address the ongoing unrest.
According to the Industrial Police, workers from majority of the factories, both ready-made garment and non-RMG, returned to work in the morning on the day across the Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belts.
However, Industrial Police officials informed that authorities of 33 factories in the two industrial zones kept their units closed on Wednesday due to concerns over potential unrest.
Of these, 20 factories were closed under Section 13/1 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 11 declared a general holiday and workers at the remaining two factories refused to work upon arrival in the morning.
Among the closed factories, 25 are ready-made garment units, while the other eight are non-RMG industrial units.
Workers of a garment factory in Gazipur blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for approximately three hours, demanding their August wages and the reopening of the closed facility.
Army personnel, along with Industrial Police, arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control.
Garment factory owners said that the labour situation improved on Wednesday following their announcement to address the workers’ 18-point demand.
These demands include increases in attendance bonuses, tiffin and night allowances, payment of outstanding wages and implementation of the latest wage board award across all factories.
They also said that some factory authorities had kept their units closed out of concern for potential unrest, but if the positive trend continued, they expected all factories to reopen very soon.
Superintendent of Industrial Police Nurani Ferdous Disha on Wednesday informed ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that 19 factories remained closed, comprising 16 ready-made garment units, in Ashulia while 14 units, including 10 RMG factories, in Gazipur.
Out of the 19 factories in Ashulia, 14 units, including two non-RMG factories, were closed under Section 13/1 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, while five factories, including three RMG units, declared a general holiday.
In Gazipur, of the 14 closed factories, six units, including three non-RMG ones, were also closed under Section 13/1 and six factories, including one non-RMG unit, declared a general holiday. Additionally, workers at two garment factories refused to work upon arriving in the morning.
Industrial Police officials said that workers in two RMG factories in Gazipur observed a work stoppage due to unpaid wages for August.
They mentioned that payment of dues in some factories could significantly improve the labour situation in the RMG sector.
Unrest in the readymade garment sector began in the last week of August, with demands for increased attendance bonuses and night allowances, payment of outstanding dues, and the implementation of existing wages across all factories, among other issues.
This unrest has continued since then.
The labour ministry, factory owners and labour leaders have put together an 18-point list of demands reflecting the needs of protesting workers from various RMG factories.
After a meeting with labour adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan and home adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, garment factory owners and labour leaders on Tuesday issued a joint statement agreeing to all of the workers’ demands.