Dhaka, Sept 04 (V7N): Despite the commencement of joint operations by the army and police on Monday, approximately 60-70 garment factories in Ashulia remain closed today (4 September) due to ongoing workers' protests.

Workers from various factories along the Bypail-Abdullahpur road in Ashulia entered their workplaces, but instead of resuming work, they began demonstrating, demanding various improvements, according to Md Sarwar Alam, Superintendent of Industrial Police-1.

As the protests escalated, factory authorities were compelled to declare closures one by one. In some cases, after announcing holidays at certain factories, workers exited and continued their protests in front of other factories, leading to further closures as authorities sought to prevent the situation from worsening.

By 10:30 a.m. today, the disgruntled workers were still stationed at multiple points along the Bypail-Abdullahpur and Nabinagar-Chandra roads in Savar. Members of the industrial police, army, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are actively working to control the situation.

"Traffic congestion caused by workers blocking the roads has been cleared. We are making efforts to stabilize the situation," said SP Md Sarwar Alam. He also noted that activities in other areas, including the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) within the industrial zone, remain normal, with the exception of the Bypail-Abdullahpur road.

Sirajul Islam Azad, Senior General Manager of HR, Administration, and Supply Chain Management at Bitopi Group, which has a factory in the Dhaka EPZ, Savar, expressed concerns about the impact of external job seekers and ongoing worker unrest on industrial operations, particularly in blocking roads.

He warned that the persistent protests and demonstrations are disrupting operations in other factories and frequently escalate to stone-throwing incidents, which could severely affect apparel exports and future orders, especially since they are already facing delays in shipment deadlines.

Protests were also reported in front of RAK Ceramic, another factory located in the Dhaka EPZ.

On Monday night, the army and police launched a joint operation in the industrial zones of Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur to restore order after more than a hundred apparel factories were forced to shut down, some of which were targeted by outsiders and protesting workers with various demands.

While the situation appeared to have normalized by morning, with no road blockades reported as of 6 p.m., protests reignited by noon, leading the authorities of 60-70 garment factories to declare a holiday.

END/MSS/