5,000 Weavers jobless in 3 upazilas
Mushtaq ahmed shawon :
Things are not going well for the garment and weaving workers of Narayanganj’s industrial hub. Due to the increase in yarn prices and frequent load-shedding, powerloom factories in the weaving-centric upazilas of Araihazar, Rupganj, and Sonargaon are shutting down one after another. Already, nearly 5,000 powerloom workers (weavers) in these three upazilas have lost their jobs. Factory owners are burdened with bank loans over their heads.
Meanwhile, the condition of the BSCIC industrial area in Narayanganj city is also grim. The impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, rising bank interest rates, and declining work orders have led to a wave of factory closures. If a stable environment does not return to the country, more factories will likely shut down in the coming days, warned Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Vice President Morshed Sarwar Sohel.
He said, “Some factories were already on the verge of closure. They had been struggling since the previous government’s tenure. The closures began mainly due to the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact. Most of the garment factories have shut down due to financial crises and a lack of adequate work. In addition to permanent closures, in the past year, 19 factories in Narayanganj have temporarily shut down, and several others have been laid off.”
It is learned that Narayanganj has 1,834 small and large garment factories. Sources say 26 garment factories have permanently closed in the past year for various reasons, leaving 5,342 workers unemployed. Among the closed factories are Knit Garden, AK Fashion Ltd., La Maison Kochur Ltd., and Molla Knit Fashion, including at least eight major companies. A review of the reasons for these closures shows that most garment factories shut down due to financial constraints and insufficient work.
In addition to permanent closures, 19 factories in Narayanganj have temporarily shut down in the past year, while several others have been laid off. However, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments gives different figures. According to their records, there are 1,010 registered garment factories in Narayanganj, of which nine have permanently shut down in the past year.
Kamal Hossain, Administrative Officer of the closed Knit Garden factory, said, “Around 450 workers were employed in the factory. More than 10,000 garments were produced daily, worth about 20,000 US dollars. The main reason for our closure was loan default. However, we paid all pending wages to our workers.”
Md. Atiqur Rahman, owner of AST Garments, said, “Due to a decrease in work orders and a financial crisis, I had to close the factory. I managed it with subsidies for several months.”
MA Shaheen, President of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweaters Workers Trade Union Centre’s Narayanganj district unit, said, “Most of the workers from the closed factories are now driving auto-rickshaws to survive, while some have returned to their villages.”
On the other hand, in the Araihazar area, more than half of the equipment at the Bhulta Grid under Narayanganj Palli Bidyut Samity-2 has been out of service for the past week. As a result, the upazila gets less than six hours of electricity daily. This has disrupted daily life and factory production, while extreme heat has left people struggling. Many, especially children and the elderly, are suffering from heat-related fevers and various stomach illnesses.
Araihazar is primarily an industrial area. Alongside large markets, the upazila and municipal centers have many powerloom factories. Due to load-shedding, production is being disrupted, causing financial strain. Factory production has nearly come to a halt.
TM Mezbha Uddin, Deputy General Manager of the Araihazar Zonal Office of Palli Bidyut Samity-2, said, “Our daily electricity demand is 200 megawatts, but for nearly a week, we have been receiving only 90–95 megawatts due to most of the equipment at the Bhulta Grid being out of order.”
In Rupganj upazila, continuous rainfall, waterlogging, extreme heat, and load-shedding have severely disrupted life for both industrial workers and residents. This upazila has about 2,500 small and large factories. For the past few days, frequent load-shedding has drastically hampered production, putting businesses at risk of heavy losses.
Factory owners and businessmen say that due to frequent power outages, they are running generators to keep production going, but this increases expenses significantly. Even then, they cannot achieve full production capacity. If load-shedding continues at this rate, it will be difficult to keep factories operational. Workers fear their salaries and allowances will be cut if production declines. They stressed that 100% electricity supply is essential for 100% production.
It is known that Rupganj upazila’s Daudpur, Jatramura, Barab, Borpa, Tarabo, Rupshi, Maikali, Bhulta, Ariabo, Karnagop, Golakandail, Murapara, Kanchon, Hatabo, Saoghat, Katararchak, Dohorgaon, Paragaon, Murapara, Baniadi, Kalinga, and Kayetpara areas are home to about 2,500 factories producing pants, shirts, t-shirts, three-piece dresses, bedsheets, printed fabrics, lungis, plastic goods, and various other products. There are also numerous knitting, dyeing, and finishing factories.
Among the large factories struggling to keep operations running on generators are Harvest Rich Garments, Alltex, Antim Knitting Dyeing & Finishing, Gramtech Knit Dyeing & Finishing, Fakir Fashion, City Oil Mill, Pran-RFL Company, Max Sweater, and Robin Tex & Garments Ltd. They are also facing a gas crisis alongside power cuts, making operations more difficult and increasing production costs.
Ayub Hossain, Senior Manager of Gramtech Knit Dyeing & Finishing Industries Ltd. in Katararchak, said, “We are struggling to keep the factory running due to load-shedding. We can’t even generate electricity from gas because gas pressure is extremely low.”
Sakhawat Hossain, Manager of Junayet Fashion Garments in Amlab, Golakandail Union, said, “We produce T-shirts, and the factory is entirely dependent on electricity. The power goes out at least 15–20 times a day. Around 100 workers sit idle whenever the power is out.”
Haji Khalil Sikder, owner of BM Textile Ltd. in Kanchon, which produces bedsheets, said, “There are around 35 bedsheet-making factories in Kanchon. Due to extreme heat and load-shedding, production has dropped by more than half. Workers spend idle time without work. If this continues, both workers and owners will have to go hungry.”
Alinur Bepari, owner of Bhai Bhai Embroidery in Bhulta, said, “The extreme heat and frequent power cuts are unbearable. We can’t cope anymore.” He strongly urged the government to resolve the crisis.
An official from Antim Knitting Dyeing & Finishing in Borpa, requesting anonymity, said, “Due to the power crisis, we are running generators with gas, but because of the gas shortage, we often have to use diesel. Losses have made it difficult to pay the gas bills. Still, considering the workers’ situation, the owners are keeping the factory open with great difficulty.”
