Labour unrest spread across the garment hubs of Ashulia and Gazipur on Tuesday, with workers blocking roads, clashing with police and demanding a monthly minimum wage of Tk30,000 and the release of arrested colleagues.
The protests forced more than 60 factories to suspend operations, while clashes in Ashulia left 20 people, including five police personnel, injured.
In Ashulia, workers from several factories walked out of their workplaces and took to the streets around 10am in the Jamgora area, shortly after joining their shifts at 8am.
Clashes and chases between workers and police continued for nearly an hour, turning the area into a battleground.
Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the protesters. Workers retaliated by throwing bricks and stones at law enforcement personnel, prompting a large police deployment to bring the situation under control.
Five police personnel were injured in the Nishchintapur area after protesters threw bricks and stones at them. One police officer sustained a serious eye injury, said Tarikul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station.
Nasir Uddin and Rabeya Begum, workers at garment factories in Nishchintapur, alleged that the government was delaying decisions on wage increases and that arrested workers were not being granted bail.
“We are taking part in the protests to demand higher wages and the release of the arrested workers,” they said.
The protesters warned that their movement would continue until their demands were met.
Amid the unrest, authorities of several factories belonging to New Age Group announced their indefinite closure from 10 November under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006.
Authorities of other factories in Ashulia, including those belonging to Star Link, Envoy and Sharmin Group, also declared holidays as the protests intensified.
Protesting workers subsequently moved towards other factories, throwing bricks and stones and forcing employees to leave their workplaces.
Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said police asked workers to disperse when they attempted to create disorder.
“They threw bricks and stones at police. Police responded by firing tear gas and using batons,” he said.
He said more than 50 factories in the surrounding areas eventually declared a one-day general holiday to avoid further disruption.
Several platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed across the industrial area, including in front of factories and at key locations, to prevent further unrest.
Additional industrial police and Dhaka district police personnel were also deployed.
11 Gazipur factories suspend operations
Meanwhile, authorities declared holidays in 11 garment factories across Gazipur in phases from around 10:30am on Tuesday to prevent further unrest following workers’ protests.
Most garment factories in the industrial city opened as usual at 8am, with workers joining their respective shifts.
However, workers from Ripon Knitwear Limited in the Konabari area and Mondol Group in Kashimpur gathered at different locations and attempted to stage demonstrations. Law enforcement personnel dispersed them.
Later, workers of Norp Industry in the Islampur area staged a protest demanding a monthly minimum wage of Tk30,000, prompting the factory authorities to declare a holiday.
The protesters then moved to Naojor on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, temporarily blocking the road and calling on workers from nearby factories to join them.
As more workers began gathering, authorities declared holidays in 11 factories across Naojor, Itahata, Chandana Chowrasta and Bhogra Bypass to prevent further escalation.
Most workers returned home following the announcements, although some continued a protest procession along the highway, marching from Naojor to Bhogra Bypass and taking up positions there.
To maintain law and order, additional personnel were deployed, including 25 executive magistrates, police, and 13 platoons of BGB.
Mohammad Amjad Hossain, superintendent of police of Gazipur Industrial Zone-2, said the situation in the industrial area had been normal in the morning.
“Considering the overall situation, members of the Industrial Police, thana police, BGB, SRB, Ansar and intelligence agencies are working on the ground,” he said.
