All the closed readymade garments (RMG) factories in Ashulia will reopen today (Friday) after a three-day closure following violent protests by workers. “All factories in Ashulia will reopen on Friday. Wages for the opening day will be paid as overtime as it is a weekly holiday (Friday),” said Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Atiqul Islam after holding a meeting with factory owners, labour leaders and the ministers concerned.
The BGMEA closed all RMG factories in Ashulia sine die on Monday following continued labour unrest over minimum wages. The workers organised demonstrations seeking pay hikes, benefits, workplace safety and security, and more. The authorities were forced to shut down the factories in the area as most of them suspended their production following the agitation by the workers. However, the apex body of the apparel manufacturers took the decision to reopen the factories in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital at the government’s request. The meeting was attended by home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, labour
minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju and shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, who requested the BGMEA leaders to reopen their factories in the greater interest of the country. They also assured them that all sorts of cooperation, including security, would be provided.
There are around 300 factories in the Ashulia belt, which account for around 30 per cent of the country’s total RMG exports. Most of the factories have deals with renowned brands across the world. Last fiscal, the RMG sector earned more than USD 19 billion by exporting various items of apparel.
Islam said production in around 90 per cent of these factories was disrupted by worker protests and violence in recent days, especially after the Rana Plaza building collapsed. A new wage board was formed for considering a pay hike for them. But the situation did not improve; the workers continued their agitation, which resulted in the closure.
The BGMEA chief claimed that most of the workers do their work properly. “Only a few try to create unrest and as a result, chaos erupts in the garment factories,” Islam said, and urged the government to take measures against those responsible for creating unrest. BGMEA vice president SM Mannan Kochi informed the press that the BGMEA has decided to reopen the factories situated in Ashulia, the hotbed of labour unrest, after getting assurances from the workers and employees that they would cooperate with the association in running the factories peacefully.
“The government has also assured us of all assistance for maintaining law and order in the factories,” he said.
-With The Independent input
