200 garment factories shut in industrial belts over Tk 30,000 minimum wage demands
Mehedi Hasan Shaon, Ashulia (Savar)
Ready-made garment (RMG) workers continued their demonstrations across Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia, and Narayanganj on Monday demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
Over 200 garment factories declared general holidays to ensure security amid widespread unrest and clashes.
Despite the government's formation of a six-member minimum wage board on Sunday, protests intensified along major industrial belts and highways, disrupting traffic and industrial operations.
Workers staged demonstrations across several key points, including Konabari, Mouchak, Chandra, and Naojor, blocking both the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways. Around noon, protesters set fire to a police vehicle on the Naojor Flyover.
A Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member sustained injuries from brick chips thrown by demonstrators. Fire service vehicles were initially blocked by protesters before police recovery trucks removed the burnt vehicle. Ten platoons of BGB personnel, supervised by executive magistrates, were deployed alongside police forces. More than 100 factories in the Gazipur belt declared holidays.
In Savar and Ashulia, clashes between RMG workers and police continued for a third consecutive day.At Around 9:30 AM, workers gathered along the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Narsinghapur as well as the Abdullahpur-Bypail road and Nabinagar-Chandra Highway. Protesters threw stones at several industrial units, including the Ha-Meem Group factory. Police used tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets to disperse blockades, particularly around Jirani Bazar.
Industrial Police-1 Assistant Superintendent Shoaeb Ahmed was injured by brick chips during the clashes. At around 11:15 AM, miscreants set fire to a Ha-Meem Group covered van while it was refueling at a local filling station. Most factories across Hemayetpur, Tetuljhora, Fulbaria, Ullail, Bypail, and Ashulia declared a day's holiday following security concerns and forced factory walkouts by protesters.
In Narayanganj, workers gathered at Kutubail Katherpool before blocking the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road around noon to press home their Tk 30,000 minimum wage demand. Police eventually cleared the road and brought the situation under control.
Law enforcement authorities, including additional Industrial Police and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) units, remain deployed across all key industrial sectors to maintain order.
