A total of 21 garment factories remain closed, 133 factories have declared a general holiday while 86 factories have been shut down indefinitely amid the labour unrest in Ashulia.
"The decision to close the factories comes in response to the ongoing protests and acts of vandalism, which have created an unstable situation in the area," Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Sarwar Alam said on Thursday (12 September).
As per section 13(1) of the Labour Act, the owner of a factory is permitted to partially or fully close down a branch or department of an establishment due to illegal strikes. Workers involved in such strikes are not entitled to any wages during the closure.
On Thursday morning, workers reported for duty at their respective factories as usual.
However, in some factories, workers ceased operations to press their demands, prompting authorities to announce general holidays for those factories.
Army, APBn, and police personnel have been deployed in front of various factories in the Narsinghpur area, while army, RAB, BGB, and police patrol the roads.
SP Sarwar Alam of Industrial Police-1 stated, "Since yesterday, we have been making announcements urging workers to return to work peacefully. Discussions are ongoing with all parties to resolve the situation. We are also in talks with factory officials and those working on the ground about how to settle the disputes related to the workers' demands."
He further added, "As of today (Thursday), 86 factories are closed under section 13(1) of the Labour Act, and 133 factories have declared a general holiday. Discussions regarding workers' demands are ongoing in some of the operational factories. So far, no reports of instability have surfaced."
As of yesterday, the total number of closed factories in Ashulia was 70, with 45 of them shut down indefinitely under section 13(1) and 25 factories observing a general holiday.
