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DHAKA: Readymade garment (RMG) workers protesting in the capital’s Mirpur-11 area blocked the road again on Tuesday morning, triggering clashes with police.
The workers took to the streets around 10:15am on November 3. Police fired sound grenades and tear gas shells to disperse them, while the workers retaliated by throwing bricks and stones at law enforcers. Chases and counter-chases between the two sides were continuing.
The Mirpur-11 Metro Rail Station has been closed due to the ongoing labour unrest.
Meanwhile, severe labour unrest has spread across the country’s three major industrial zones amid workers’ demands for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
As the situation remained beyond control and workers left their workplaces after halting production, a total of 679 garment factories in Mirpur, Gazipur-Mymensingh and Savar-Ashulia-Jirani were shut down. As a result, 1,680,572 workers were forced to return home without working, according to information from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Monday.
According to BGMEA data, of the 2,134 factories across five industrial zones, 1,455 remained open. Information collected up to 3:30pm on Monday showed that production had been suspended at 679 factories due to labour unrest.
BGMEA sources said that among the 2,134 factories in Mirpur, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Savar, Ashulia, Jirani Bazar, Narayanganj and Chattogram, 1,455 remained operational. Workers at the remaining 679 factories left without joining work, resulting in production closures.
In Mirpur, workers walked out of 55 of the area’s 320 factories. A total of 53,840 workers left their workplaces without working.
In Gazipur and Mymensingh, 382 of the 836 factories were closed. In the Savar-Ashulia and Jirani industrial zones, 223 of 441 factories suspended operations, with around 743,000 workers stopping work.
In Narayanganj, workers left nine of the area’s 199 factories. No labour unrest or work stoppages were reported in Chattogram, which has 340 factories.
A tense situation continues to prevail across the industrial zones, while the authorities concerned and law enforcement agencies remain active to bring the situation under control.
