Workers from a garment factory in Ashulia blocked the Nabinagar-Chandra highway on Monday, September 30th, to protest unpaid wages. The protest began at 9:30 a.m., with workers from Birds Group holding rallies in two prominent locations: the Baipail neighbourhood and in front of Mirpur DOHS.
The discontent comes after Birds Group filed a notice on August 27th, citing the current Russia-Ukraine conflict and a global economic slowdown as causes for a lack of work and associated financial losses. Despite continuing operations, management struggled to get new contracts and announced the closure of RNR Fashions Ltd., Birds Garments Ltd., Birds Fedrex Ltd., and Birds A & Z Ltd. on August 28th.
According to Khairul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweater Workers Trade Union, “Following the factory closures, a meeting with the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments was held with BGMEA and other stakeholders, where it was agreed that workers would be paid their legal dues today.” However, he stated that Birds officials had notified the workers that payments would not be issued, which sparked the protests.
Abu Bakar Siddique, officer-in-charge of the Ashulia police station, acknowledged the blockade and said that law enforcement personnel are attempting to restore calm in the area.
According to industry sources, 31 Ashulia factories have ceased work as of Monday. Twelve of these facilities were closed under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, including Tammam Fashion Ltd., Beq Knit Ltd., and Envoy Fashion Ltd., while 19 remain open but inactive, have workers on leave, or have halted production.
Despite the difficulties, it was noted that 98.52 per cent of the 2,678 factories in the Ashulia area had paid their employees for August, with only four factories remaining to do so. In total, 407 manufacturers are operating in the Savar, Ashulia, and Zirani sectors, with 876 enterprises active in Gazipur. No plant closures have been reported in Narayanganj, the DMP region, or Chittagong, showing the confined nature of the Ashulia turmoil.
