Industrial unrest resurfaced in Dhaka’s Ashulia industrial belt on Thursday,12 November, forcing the suspension of operations at five garment factories as a section of workers staged demonstrations over a nine-point charter of demands.
While manufacturing facilities in neighbouring Savar continued operating in a calm, routine environment, the industrial landscape in Ashulia presented a sharply contrasting picture. Tensions began escalating early in the morning across several industrial zones, driven primarily by calls to set the minimum monthly wage at Tk 30,000 and to immediately end the blacklisting of workers.
Protesting labourers initially attempted to gather on major thoroughfares to press home their demands. However, upon spotting the heavy deployment of law enforcement personnel, groups of demonstrators dispersed into adjacent alleyways to avoid direct confrontation.
The situation briefly turned volatile when a section of the crowd hurled brickbats at a local garment factory. Police intervened swiftly, chasing the agitators to scatter the gathering and restore order in the vicinity. During the drive, officers detained Rakib Hasan, a worker employed at Next Wash Limited, a sister concern of the Ha-Meem Group in Ashulia.
The dual industrial zones of Savar and Ashulia serve as the backbone of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector, employing hundreds of thousands of workers who produce apparel for global retail brands. Intermittent labour disputes over wage structures, inflation pressures, and job security have periodically disrupted production schedules in this crucial export hub, often prompting heightened security patrols to safeguard industrial infrastructure.
By late morning, security forces had largely brought the streets under control, though an uneasy calm lingered around the affected factories. Authorities have maintained strict vigilance across key intersections in Ashulia to prevent any further escalation and to ensure that operational units can continue their production without interruption.
