18 factories declare holiday amid labourers' agitation in Gazipur
Police members patrol Gazipur industrial areas to thwart any untoward incident. Agamir Somoy.
Due to workers' agitation in Gazipur, authorities have declared a holiday in 18 garments factories to prevent any untoward incidents. The holiday was announced around 10:30 AM on Tuesday.
Law enforcement personnel have been deployed on high alert in the industrial area to maintain control over the situation.
According to the Industrial Police, most of the ready-made garment factories opened at 8:00 AM, and workers joined their shifts. However, workers of Ripon Knitwear Limited in the Konabari area and Mondol Group in the Kashimpur area gathered scattered and attempted to protest. At that time, members of the law enforcement forces dispersed them.
Later, around 10:30 AM, workers of Norp Industry in the Islampur area began demonstrating to demand a minimum wage of Tk30,000. Under these circumstances, the factory management declared a holiday. At one point, the workers moved to the Nawjor area on the Dhaka-Tangail highway and blocked the road for a short duration. Concurrently, they called upon workers from neighboring factories to join their movement.
Workers from nearby factories then began joining them. To control the situation, management declared a holiday across 18 factories in the Nawjor, Itahata, Chandana Chaurasta, and Bhogra Bypass areas. Although most workers returned home after the holiday announcement, some remained on the highway and conducted a protest march. They marched from Nawjor to the Bhogra Bypass area and took up position there.
Additional law enforcement members were seen on alert to bring the situation under control. Alongside the police, 13 platoons of BGB, 25 Executive Magistrates, SRB, Ansar, and intelligence agency members are performing duty to ensure security of the industrial zone.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ashik Sayeed said that the situation in the Gazipur industrial area was normal since the morning. However, to avoid any unpleasant incidents amid worker protests, authorities declared a holiday in 18 factories. Considering the context, Industrial Police and local police officers, along with BGB, SRB, Ansar, and intelligence agencies, are actively working on the ground.
