‘No work, no pay’
Garment factory owners have warned that unrest-hit factories will be shut indefinitely from Sunday if workers do not return, as frequent disruption in readymade garment (RMG) sector threatens losses to the export industry.
Keeping this issue in mind, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) issued the warning at a press conference in Uttara, Dhaka, on Saturday.
They said owners would act under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, if production could not resume in a safe environment.
“An employer may, in the event of an illegal strike in any section or department of any establishment, close down either wholly or partly such section or establishment and in cases of such closure the workers participated in the strike shall not be paid any wages,” the Section read. The provision clearly articulated the message: “No work, no pay.”
BGMEA president Mahmud Hasan Khan said 55 factories in Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur had already been declared closed indefinitely under the provision on Saturday.
Khan said the 147 factories that had stopped production employed around 300,000 workers; the number affected could change because unrest was not occurring in the same factories each day.
“Factory owners in the affected areas are in a difficult situation and cannot keep their factories running,” Khan said. Owners had told the association they might have to close units where production remained impossible.
Meanwhile, some factories in Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur have faced disruption for between seven and 12 days. Owners say they cannot operate without security and a workable production environment.
Khan alleged that a group of workers, encouraged by outside interests, had been creating disorder inside factories and preventing others from joining work. He said most workers wanted to return, but a small number were disrupting operations.
“The majority of our workers are sincere about joining work,” he said. “But some misguided workers, under instigation and provocation from outside quarters, are regularly creating disorder inside factories,” he said.
He alleged that intimidation inside factory premises was forcing workers to stop work and leave.
Responding to a question about whether those responsible for creating disorder inside factories had been identified, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said attempts were being made to bring workers from certain areas together to destabilise the situation, with people from outside the industry also becoming involved.
He said the BGMEA did not have the capacity to identify those involved independently. However, law enforcement agencies were investigating the incidents, and the associations had been informed that those suspected of instigating the unrest were under surveillance.
Asked why labour unrest and violence were concentrated in parts of Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur, Khan said factory owners would attend the next meeting of the Minimum Wage Board on November 16.
He expressed hope that the situation would improve within the next one or two days, warning that owners would consider further action if normal production did not resume.
Khan also warned that continued instability in the RMG sector was damaging Bangladesh’s reputation in international markets and hurting the national economy.
He said the unrest was also disrupting the normal functioning of the Minimum Wage Board and affecting the progress of wage negotiations.
Groups had then gathered outside and thrown bricks and other objects at neighbouring factory gates, forcing workers there to come out, he claimed.
The latest confrontation comes amid workers’ demands for higher minimum wages. Protests began in mid-October, initially at several factories in Uttara, Mirpur and the Bayezid area of Chattogram, before spreading to industrial areas around Dhaka.
In response to the demands, the government formed a minimum wage board on 1 November. At its second meeting last Monday, the workers’ representative proposed a minimum monthly wage of Tk 32,000. The board’s third meeting is scheduled for Monday, 16 November, when the employers’ representatives are expected to present their proposal.
Khan questioned the continuation of protests and factory vandalism after the formation of the wage board and the announcement of the process for determining the new minimum wage.
He argued that if the movement was solely about wages, continued disruption during the negotiation process was difficult to justify.
He suggested that some groups might be attempting to put pressure on factory owners to accept what he described as unreasonable wage demands, although he did not rule out other motives behind the unrest.
The BGMEA president also said workers’ representatives on the wage board had informed the associations that neither they nor any labour organisation was involved in the vandalism and disorder.
He criticised labour organisations for failing to play a sufficiently effective role in containing the unrest, saying many local leaders and representatives had been unable to maintain influence over workers at the factory level.
Meanwhile, the associations would attend Monday’s wage board meeting, he said, although owners would discuss whether to continue participating if the disorder persisted.
The situation remained tense in several industrial areas on Saturday. In Kaliakair, Gazipur, police dispersed garment workers who had blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, using tear gas and sound grenades. Traffic returned to normal after nearly four hours. In Ashulia, law enforcement personnel also removed protesters who attempted to block roads near two factories.
BKMEA acting president Fazle Shamim Ehsan urged both employers and workers to exercise restraint, warning that further confrontation could put the entire industry at risk.
“At this critical time, no step should be taken that places the whole industry under threat. Owners and workers must work together to keep this sector alive,” he said.
Labour organisations have also called for calm. At a joint press conference on Friday, an alliance of five workers’ organisations urged employees to remain patient and avoid provocations or activities that could undermine the wage-setting process.
The labour leaders called on workers to return to their factories and allow the Minimum Wage Board to complete its work. They also urged employers to keep negotiations open as a means of resolving the dispute.
The growing uncertainty has raised concerns about the future of an industry that remains Bangladesh’s largest source of export earnings and provides livelihoods for millions of workers.
Prolonged production stoppages could result in substantial financial losses, delayed shipments, missed export orders and possible penalties from international buyers. Continued unrest could also weaken buyers’ confidence in Bangladesh as a reliable sourcing destination.