Staff Reporter :
Hundreds of garment workers took to the streets in Ashulia and Savar on Saturday, demanding the reopening of closed factories, the withdrawal of cases filed against workers, and an increase in the minimum wage to Tk 22,000.
The protests blocked several roads, causing significant disruptions in the area.
The workers, primarily from factories in the Bypile-Abdullahpur Road and Zirabo areas, began their protests early in the morning.
According to the Industrial Police, the situation escalated when employees from Mondol Knitwear Limited joined in, calling for a wage hike to Tk 22,000 per month. The protesters occupied the roads until around 11 AM.
The unrest was further fueled by workers from Lusaka Group, who discovered that their factory had been shut down under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Law. This decision came despite previous promises from factory management to withdraw charges against 27 workers.
A worker from Mondol Knitwear claimed that local thugs, allegedly hired by factory authorities, had been harassing and assaulting employees, which contributed to the growing unrest.
By midday, production in 49 factories across the Ashulia industrial area had been halted. Among these, 12 factories were officially closed under Section 13(1) of the Labor Law, while the remaining 37 either ceased operations or declared paid holidays.
The factories shut under Section 13(1) include Lusaka Group’s Beq Knitwear Limited, Beq Sweater Limited, Mondol Knitwear Limited, and several units from Envoy Group, including Envoy Fashion Limited, Envoy Design Limited, Anjuman Design Limited, and The Rose Dresses Limited.
In addition, the 37 factories affected by the strikes or declared holidays include MangoTex Limited, Glorious Sun Fashion, Southern Garments Limited, Textown Limited, Generation Next, Skyline Garments Limited, New Age Apparels, New Age Garments, and Sidko Limited, among others.