Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Owners have shut down their apparel factories in Ashulia for an indefinite period from Sunday in the face of continuous workers’ unrest that jolted the apparel hub for the last six days.
The decision came at an emergency meeting between garment and knitwear makers on Saturday at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) official in the capital Dhaka.
“Considering security for both individual and industry, all the factories here will be closed for an indefinite period under section 13(1) of the existing labour law,” BGMEA President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin told reporters after the meeting.
The factories will not be reopened unless foolproof security and pro-industry atmosphere are ensured, the BGMEA chief said, adding that they would suspend production in garment factories across the country if the situation does not improve early.
Earlier on Thursday the BGMEA warned that they will suspend manufacturing at the factories located in the industrial belt for an indefinite period if the violence does not stop by Saturday.
But the warning had failed to bring calm and peace in the area rather violent protests have spread over another apparel industrial zone.
Trade unions have opposed the BGMEA decision, saying that it could further instigate the agitating workers who have been demanding about 50 per cent hike in monthly wages to cope with the spiralling prices of essential commodities.
More than 150 apparel factories stopped production on Saturday as tens of thousands of workers in Ashulia and Kanchpur belts blockaded highways and engaged in vandalism.
Nearly 100 people, including policemen and journalists, were injured as the protesters clashed with police several times on the day that turned the industrial zones into veritable battlefields, according to reports.
Industrial police, however, stepped up securities at all the apparel industrial belts so that the destructive activities cannot spread over the zones.
BBN/SSR/AD-16June12-9:30 pm (BST)
