Garment Workers Stage Walkout Demanding Higher Wages, Defy Police Restrictions; Dozens of Factories Shut Down

❐ Staff Reporter

Tensions have once again spread in the Savar and Ashulia industrial areas due to the ongoing agitation by garment workers demanding a wage increase.

In continuation of the movement, workers in several garment factories in the region have been on strike since Thursday morning, November 5th.

At one point, thousands of workers took to the streets, ignoring the police’s bloodshot eyes and obstacles, creating a tense situation in the entire area.

Although workers arrived as usual at factories in the important industrial areas of Savar and Ashulia in the morning, they did not participate in the production process and called for a strike.

As time passed, as overall security concerns arose, the authorities of several garment factories in the Jamgarh, Nishchintapur, and Narsinghpur areas of the Bypail-Abdullahpur road were forced to declare a holiday in the factories.

A senior official of a prominent industrial group in the Kathgarh area said that to avoid any untoward incident and for overall safety reasons, most of the factories in the area have already been closed. Some factories have stopped production even though workers are inside.

The situation took a new turn in the Nischintapur area of ​​Ashulia after 10 am. Workers from several factories there formed an alliance and took to the streets and chanted slogans demanding a wage increase.

When the police arrived and stopped them, a confrontation ensued, which created intense tension in the area. Later, the workers, ignoring the police’s obstruction, took out a protest march together and continued to move towards Jamgarh.

To keep the situation under control, a large number of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed at various strategic and sensitive points in Savar’s Hemayetpur, Ulail, Padma intersection and the Bypail-Abdullahpur road in Ashulia.

Law enforcement officers are patrolling closely to monitor the movements of the protesting workers. Security has been beefed up in the entire industrial area to prevent any further untoward incidents.