Staff Reporter :
At least 30 ready-made garment (RMG) factories were shut down on Sunday following worker protests in the Ashulia industrial area of Dhaka.
Despite these closures, production continues in the majority of garment factories in the region under heightened security.
Sarwar Alam, Superintendent of Industrial Police-1, confirmed that seven to eight factories ceased production in the morning.
By the afternoon, additional factories were closed by their authorities after efforts to resolve the ongoing protests through discussions proved unsuccessful.
“The situation remained calm until 11 a.m., but authorities were forced to declare holidays in these factories when no agreement could be reached regarding the workers’ demands,” Sarwar Alam said.
Following these closures, unrest spread to other factories, but no incidents of violence or clashes were reported as of Sunday evening.
To maintain security, additional police personnel, including members of the Army, Industrial Police, and APBn, have been deployed.
Security has been intensified in key areas such as the Pearl Garment Company Limited in the Palashbari area, as well as several factories along the Bypail-Abdullahpur road in Ashulia’s Narsinghpur area.
Despite the protests, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) directed the factories in Ashulia to open on Sunday morning, with workers reporting to their respective workplaces at 8 a.m. as usual.