Gazipur–Ashulia Rocked by Wage Protests: 17 Factories Declared Closed, 20 Banned Chhatra League Activists Detained
Worker unrest demanding a higher minimum wage has heated up the industrial belts of Gazipur and Ashulia. On Saturday (14 November), facing worker protests, authorities declared holidays at 17 garment factories across the two industrial zones — 11 in Kaliakair, Gazipur, and six in Ashulia.
On Saturday morning, workers began protesting in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur. At one stage they blockaded the Dhaka-Tangail highway, halting traffic in both directions and causing severe suffering for ordinary passengers.
Law enforcement later fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the workers, after which the blockade was lifted. Traffic on the highway is now normal.
Police detained 20 leaders and activists of the banned Chhatra League from the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Gazipur on allegations of instigating the protest. They are currently in the custody of Kaliakair police station. Police claim the detainees incited the workers' movement.
Police and worker sources said workers of two garment factories — Tropical in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair and Apex Lingerie in East Chandra — protested last Thursday. Police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse them that day, injuring several workers.
When a rumour spread that a worker injured in Thursday's protest had died, workers on Saturday morning refused to join work and began protesting again, taking position on the Dhaka-Tangail highway near the factories in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area and blockading the road. Authorities then declared holidays at 11 nearby garment factories.
Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Industrial Zone-2, Md. Amjad Hossain, said the workers were protesting to demand higher wages. Workers of 11 nearby factories came out onto the road, and holidays were declared at the factories in the face of the protests.
The unrest also affected the Ashulia industrial zone. On Saturday morning, workers of six garment factories reported for work but did not take part in production. Authorities then declared a holiday for the day at those factories.
Police and worker sources said workers of various garment factories in Ashulia have been protesting for some time with three-point demands, including a minimum wage of Tk 30,000.
Although the government has formed a wage board in this situation, the new pay structure has not yet been announced. As a result, discontent among the workers persists.
Superintendent of Police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, said no fresh incident of worker unrest occurred in Ashulia or Savar on Saturday, but holidays were declared at six factories as workers did not join production. He added that another 40 factories were already closed due to worker unrest, and it is not certain when they will reopen.
Meanwhile, workers of several factories in the Hemayetpur area of Savar also protested, but the overall situation there was calm on Saturday. Workers at most factories worked as normal.
Although tension prevails in the two industrial zones over the protests and factory closures, traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway has returned to normal after the blockade was lifted in the Chandra area.
