As workers’ protests continue, as many as 227 Readymade Garments (RGM) factories on the outskirts of the capital, Ashulia, Savar and neighbouring district Gazipur have remained shut on Thursday.
Despite various measures, including joint operations comprising personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Police, the situation has not improved even after two weeks have elapsed.
The apparel sector, the highest remittance-earning sector, is facing severe catastrophe due to continuous unrest in the RMG sector following workers' unrest.
The country is now aware that it may lose the world market, as RMG owners on Wednesday said that they had already lost 15 percent of work orders due to the volatile situation in the RMG sector.
In this circumstance, different business bodies on Thursday met with the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, seeking his intervention to bring the situation under control. It should be mentioned that workers of the RMG and other factories launched protests with their various demands from August 29.
As part of the continuous protests by the RMG workers, at least 219 factories in Ashulia remained closed on Thursday, while eight more factories remained shut in Gazipur.
Superintendent of Industrial Police-1 Md Sarowar Alam confirmed the matter, saying that among the 219 closed factories in Ashulia, 86 were closed under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, while a general holiday was declared at the rest of the factories.
According to Section 13(1) of the Labour Act, the owner can shut down a factory or a section of a factory due to an illegal strike.
"In this case, the workers taking part in the strike will not receive any wages," the law stipulates.
However, other factories in the area were open, according to Sarowar.
"No untoward incident has happened in the area since the morning. Workers of some factories did not join work today as part of their longstanding discontent.
A total of 219 factories were forced to close down when workers left these factories after entering them following a work abstention," Sarowar added.
Sarowar also said that law enforcers were present in front of the factories while teams of joint forces were patrolling the area to control the situation.
Earlier on Wednesday, 114 factories remained closed, and one of them, Big Boss Warehouse, a sister concern of Becimco Group, was set on fire in Gazipur.
RMG workers' protests erupted on August 29 when they began demanding various changes from garment factory owners, including recruiting equal men and women, increased salaries and other benefits, and reduced workloads.
The protesting workers' demands include payment of salaries by the 7th of every month, increasing attendance bonuses to Tk1,000, a 15% wage hike, consolidated payment for 18 days of annual leave, an end to mistreatment by factory staff, stopping the blacklisting of workers' names, paying three months and 13 days' salary if dismissed, and increasing tiffin and night allowances, among others.
The protesting workers also emphasised that no worker or staff member should face harassment, abuse, or oppression.
They insisted that any specific company should not control the compliance department and that the rightful demands of workers and staff representatives must be taken seriously.
These demands should be officially acknowledged through a notice, said the workers.
They further announced that they would continue their protests until their demands are met.
