Garment workers return nationwide as factories resume amid easing unrest
Garment workers have started returning to their workplaces in different industrial areas across the country, including Gazipur, Savar and Ashulia, bringing renewed momentum to the readymade garment industry.
In Gazipur, almost all garment factories reopened this morning, including those that had announced sudden holidays yesterday.
Workers were seen entering factories and joining production activities in different industrial areas, with no fresh incidents of unrest reported until 9:00 am.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amjad Hossain said 99.99 percent of garment factories in the district were operational today.
During visits to Bhogra, Naojor, Board Bazar and Signboard areas around 8:00 am, workers were seen queuing up to enter factories, while production activities were underway as usual.
Traffic movement on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways was also normal.
In Savar and Ashulia, the situation has also improved as workers returned to their workplaces and most factories resumed operations in the morning.
Industrial areas in the two zones remained under heightened security, with members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement agencies deployed at key points to prevent further incidents.
In Dhaka, the situation in the Mirpur industrial area was largely normal, while production activities and vehicular movement also remained normal in Tongi and other industrial areas.
Meanwhile, labour unrest eased in the Narayanganj industrial belt, particularly in Fatullah, as the situation improved under close monitoring by law enforcement agencies.
Vehicular movement remained normal in the garment industrial areas of Mirpur, Tongi, Narayanganj, Savar and Mymensingh.
Overall law and order in these industrial zones remained under control, with additional security measures in place to ensure workers' safety and uninterrupted factory operations.
Director General (AIG) of Industrial Police Gazi Jasim said the overall situation in the country's industrial areas was much better today than in previous days.
He said workers has entered factories and joined their respective workplaces.
Although attempts were made to create disorder by spreading rumours, those were brought under control through intelligence surveillance, he added.
He said the overall law and order situation in the industrial areas of Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Narayanganj remained under control.
Garment workers had been staging demonstrations since November 1, demanding an increase in the minimum monthly wage from Tk 12,500 to Tk 30,000.
In response to the workers' demands, the government formed a six-member minimum wage board on November 1 to review the existing wage structure and recommend a revised one for the sector.
The board held its first meeting on November 4, and the revised wage structure is expected to come into effect in December.
Workers are expected to receive their first salaries under the new structure in January 2027.
The government's initiative to form the wage board has created an opportunity to address workers' demands through dialogue and negotiations.
Factory owners and labour representatives have also called for maintaining a peaceful working environment and ensuring uninterrupted production.
The gradual resumption of production across the major garment manufacturing hubs is expected to help restore stability in the country's vital export-oriented apparel sector and maintain the continuity of export activities.
