Operations were suspended at 60 readymade garment factories in Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur on Wednesday due to worker protests over various demands.
In the Nabinagar area of Savar, workers from Birds Group continued their blockade of the highway for 48 hours, demanding their owed wages, while another group of protesters blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur, also seeking jobs.
According to industry insiders, out of 60 affected factories, 33 are located in Savar and Ashulia, while 26 are in the Gazipur industrial area.
In Ashulia, one factory, Anjuman Design Ltd, remained shut under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, which stipulates ‘no work, no pay.’ Additionally, 32 other factories declared a general holiday on Monday, as their workers either did not report for duty or left after arriving in the morning.
Local sources reported that authorities had to suspend production in 26 industrial units in Gazipur after protesters took to the streets, demanding jobs and throwing bricks at various factories.
A group of individuals blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur around 8:00 am, halting traffic in both directions and causing significant disruption for passengers.
Earlier, the protesters targeted several factories in the Bogra Chowdhury Bari area, throwing bricks and urging their fellow workers to join the movement.
As a result, the authorities of several factories in the area announced closures for the day.
Meanwhile, workers from Birds Group continued their blockade of the Nabinagar-Chandra highway that began on Monday morning, demanding their wages and benefits.
The blockade was ongoing as of 1:00 pm on Wednesday when this report was filed.
Birds Group authorities announced the closure of the factory on August 27 and signed an agreement with the workers to pay their wages and benefits by September 30.
However, on September 29, the factory issued a notice postponing the payment date by three months.
This notice prompted workers to take to the streets once more, blocking the Nabinagar-Chandra highway on Monday morning, causing thousands of vehicles to remain stranded for hours.