Ashulia unrest: 49 factories shut, workers demand reopenings, withdrawal of cases, wage hike

Workers from multiple garment factories in Dhaka's Ashulia blocked roads and staged protests demanding the reopening of closed factories, withdrawal of cases filed against workers, and an increase in the minimum wage to Tk22,000.

The protest took place this morning (28 September) on the Bypile-Abdullahpur Road in the Zirabo area of Ashulia, where workers blocked the roads to voice their demands.

This was yet another alarming development in the sector racked by protests in the past two weeks.

At one point during the protest this morning, workers approached nearby factories and called out their fellow workers by throwing bricks and stones.

This forced the management of at least 8 to 10 factories in the area to announce temporary closures.

A worker from Beq Knit Limited, part of the Lusaka Group, said to The Business Standard, "On 9 September, the factory owners filed a case against 27 workers and several unnamed individuals at the Ashulia police station. Later, the workers protested demanding withdrawal of the case. The factory reopened last Thursday, and the management promised to hand us the case withdrawal documents. However, they did not provide those.

RMG workers protesting on 28 September. Photo: TBS

"When we came to the factory this morning, we found it closed under section 13(1) of the labour law," he added. 

The section 13 (1) of the labour law entails that 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. 

Workers then gathered workers from nearby factories and took to the streets, demanding the reopening of the closed factories and the withdrawal of the cases filed against them.

An official from the Industrial Police said, "After the Lusaka Group workers started their protest, workers from Mondol Knitwear Limited also came out onto the streets in the Zirabo area and began their demonstration, demanding a minimum wage increase to Tk22,000. Several other factory workers have joined them, and as of 11am, they are still protesting on the road."

A protesting worker from Mondol Knitwear Limited said to The Business Standard, "Our workers have been protesting for several days over a wage increase and other demands. When we came to the factory today, we saw that the management had closed it under section 13(1) of the labor law.

"Local thugs have been attacking our workers on behalf of the factory owners since Thursday, dragging them away and beating them. We are protesting against this."

However, when asked for specific details about which workers were attacked or taken away, the worker could not provide any concrete information.

Speaking to TBS, Superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Md Sarwar Alam said, "Most of the factories in the industrial zone have been operating since this morning, and the workers have peacefully joined work. However, after the Lusaka Group workers started their protest, 8 to 10 nearby factories were forced to announce closures. Mondol Group workers are also protesting on the streets, demanding a minimum wage of Tk 22,000.

"We are trying to calm the workers and bring the situation under control. Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed at various points in the industrial zone to ensure security," he added.

The police officer also mentioned, "As of this morning's information, a total of 16 factories in the industrial zone have suspended production. Of these, 10 have been closed under section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Law (no work, no pay), while 6 factories have declared a general holiday."

The industrial police further noted, "Since some factories have declared general holidays due to the workers' protests, the number of closed factories could increase by the end of the day."

Meanwhile, according to industrial sources, by 12pm production activities had been halted in a total of 49 factories in the Ashulia industrial area today.

Among these, 12 factories were closed under section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Law, while 37 factories were either open but not operating or had declared holidays.

The factories closed under section 13(1) include Lusaka Group's Beq Knitwear Limited, Beq Sweater Limited, Mondol Knitwear Limited, Envoy Group's Envoy Fashion Limited, Envoy Design Limited, Anjuman Design Limited, and The Rose Dresses Limited.

Additionally, 37 factories, where workers either left, work was suspended, or holidays were declared with pay, include MangoTex Limited, Glorious Sun Fashion, Southern Garments Limited, Textown Limited, Generation Next, Skyline Garments Limited, Skyline Apparels Limited, New Age Apparels, New Age Garments, Sidko Limited, among others.

There are 1,863 factories under the jurisdiction of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, the majority of which are garment factories.