RMG workers staged a road blockade in protest over unpaid wages, intensifying ongoing labour unrest that has led to the suspension of production at 52 factories in Ashulia.
The protest brought traffic to a standstill on the Tongi-Ashulia-EPZ road for an extended period on Monday (23 September), said Industrial Police-1 SP Sarwar Alam.
Today, 43 factories remain closed, and 9 have declared general holidays. In the remaining factories, work continues peacefully. We are facilitating negotiations between workers and owners to resolve disputes amicably. Fortunately, there have been no reports of disorder so far." he added.
In the wake of continued unrest, 43 factories have been closed under Section 13(1) of the Labour Law, while an additional 9 factories have declared general holidays.
Despite the disruptions, workers in other factories within the industrial areas, including the DEPZ, returned to work by 8am and resumed production.
According to the police, the shutdown of 52 factories is a precautionary measure due to the ongoing labour unrest and for safety concerns.
The protest erupted when workers at a factory in the Narsinghapur area blocked the road, demanding their overdue wages.
Traffic resumed around 11:30am after the workers cleared the road.
While production continued peacefully in other factories, law enforcement officers remain on alert to prevent any untoward incidents.