A total of 219 garment factories in the industrial area of Ashulia, Dhaka, remain closed on Thursday due to labor unrest and an unstable situation. Of these, 86 factories are closed indefinitely. However, no untoward incidents have been reported.
Superintendent of Police Sarwar Alam of Industrial Police-1 confirmed this information at 11:00 am on Thursday.
Sources said that following a call from BGMEA leaders and local political parties on Wednesday, a decision was made to reopen all factories today. However, although many factories opened around 8:00 am, the authorities kept 86 factories closed indefinitely. As the day progressed, an additional 133 factories declared a general holiday.
Police Superintendent of Industrial Police-1 stated that there were no reports of attacks, vandalism, or road blockades in the industrial area. However, some factories had existing worker dissatisfaction due to several internal issues, leading those workers not to return to work today. Additionally, several factories experienced a strike when workers left after entering, resulting in production halts across 219 factories in the area. Of these, 86 factories have been closed under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act, while the remaining 133 factories have been declared on general holiday for today.
He also mentioned that additional police officers have been deployed in front of the factories to prevent any untoward incidents in the industrial area. Additionally, joint forces continue to patrol the area.