At least 51 readymade garment factories, mostly located in Ashulia, suspended operations on Saturday, primarily after lunch, as workers protested over arrears, the reopening of factories, and demands for a wage increase.

Workers from several garment factories, including Mondol Knitwear, blocked the Bypile-Abdullahpur road in the Zirabo area of Ashulia in the morning, demanding the reopening of closed factories, the withdrawal of cases against workers, and an increase in the minimum wage to Tk22,000.

Meanwhile, workers from two factories in Gazipur also blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, calling for timely wage payments and increases in various allowances, including attendance, tiffin, and night shift payments.

Law enforcement agencies later cleared the workers from both locations.

Officials from the Industrial Police stated that workers at Mondol Knitwear had blocked the Ashulia road for three hours in the morning due to their demands for a wage increase, among other issues.

As a result of these incidents, 20 to 25 ready-made garment factories in Ashulia announced the closure of their units after lunch.

The majority of factories in the industrial zone had been operating since morning, with workers attending their workplaces.

However, protests from the Lusaka Group and Mondal Group, along with several nearby factories, forced many to announce closures.

According to industry sources, a total of 49 garment factories in Ashulia and two in the Gazipur industrial belt halted production on that day.

Of these, 12 factories in Ashulia closed under labour law provision 13(1), which states ‘no work, no pay,’ while the remaining 37 factories announced a holiday as workers either did not report for work or left after attending.

Garment factory owners had agreed on September 24 to all 18 demands of the protesting workers, including increases in attendance, tiffin, and night shift allowances, in an effort to restore normalcy in the units, particularly in the Ashulia area, where protests had been ongoing since August 29.

Although the labour situation improved following a tripartite agreement on September 15 among labour leaders, factory owners, and the government, tensions have resurfaced as workers continue to protest with renewed demands for a wage increase.