Garment Workers Walk Out After Attendance in Ashulia, General Holiday at Over 100 Factories, Sit-in on Abdullahpur-Baipail Road

Worker unrest has flared again in Ashulia, the industrial area of Dhaka. On Thursday (November 5) morning, demanding a wage increase, protesters came out after recording their attendance at their factories and forced workers at other factories not to join work. More than a hundred garment factories then declared a general holiday at the same time.

At around 8am on Thursday, the workers first entered their own factories and confirmed their attendance by punching their cards. They then came out of the factories, gathered in front of the main gates of other factories and forced other workers to come out as well.

When surrounding factories declared a general holiday, workers from more than a hundred factories took to the roads. The protesters then took position on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road, disrupting traffic.

When police chased the workers away from several points, they took position on various branch roads.

The workers say the wage board commission has announced that wages will be increased in December, but has not specified how much the increase will be. They say they are continuing the movement because of this uncertainty.

Meanwhile, after Wednesday's (November 4) blockade of the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar and the setting of fire to a police van and a motorcycle, the situation in the Savar industrial area has remained largely calm since Thursday morning.

Security has been strengthened across the industrial area to avoid any kind of sabotage or untoward situation. Alongside police, BGB members are deployed, and police armoured vehicles have been kept ready at various important points.

Industrial Police-1 Superintendent of Police Mominul Islam Bhuiyan said the overall situation in the Ashulia area of Savar under Industrial Police Dhaka is good. Of the 1,863 factories under their jurisdiction, 70 factories are temporarily closed for today, while activities are running at the rest.

He said that in the Jamgara area, after holidays were declared at several factories, some miscreants were throwing bricks and stones. After several of them were detained, they attacked police and vandalised a police vehicle. Sound grenades and tear gas were then fired to bring the situation under control.

The superintendent also said the situation is now completely normal and under control. A short while earlier, around 2,500 workers marched peacefully from Zirabo to the Envoy factory. They held the programme in protest at the killing of a worker in Gazipur.

On arrests, he said they do not yet have any statistics on how many people have been arrested over today's incidents, and no one is in their custody so far.

He also said the government has already formed a minimum wage board, its work is ongoing, and it has been announced that the new wage will take effect from the beginning of January. Owners are committed to implementing the set minimum wage. He said those instigating these activities on social media are being identified and efforts are under way to arrest them, and many have already been detained.