At least 29 garment factories in the Ashulia industrial belt suspended operations on Thursday as workers staged a work abstention, rejecting the government’s recent announcement of a 4.0 per cent increase in the annual wage increment.

On December 9, the Ministry of Labour and Employment announced, following a meeting, that the garment workers’ annual wage increment would rise to 9.0 per cent from the existing 5.0 per cent, effective from this month.

However, workers from the 29 factories rejected the 9 per cent annual increment. They gathered at their respective workplaces in the morning, halting operations, and demanded, among other things, a 15 per cent annual increment and a monthly wage of Tk 25,000.

Among the 29 factories, eight have been closed under the ‘no work, no pay’ provision as outlined in Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act.

Another eight have declared leave with pay, while the remaining 13 have been impacted by workers either walking out or halting operations.

According to sources from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, production activities in all 29 factories in Ashulia have been suspended due to the ongoing protests.

On Wednesday, 25 garment factories in the Ashulia industrial belt suspended operations as workers staged a work abstention, rejecting the government’s recent announcement of an additional 4.0 per cent annual increment.