Six factories closed after wage protests in Gazipur

Photo: collected

Six factories in Gazipur declared a one-day holiday on Tuesday after workers staged protests demanding higher wages in the Kashimpur, Jorun and Naojor areas.

The protests began at around 10:30am, according to police and local sources.

Workers at Ripon Knitwear in the Jorun area of Konabari started demonstrating in the morning. At one point, they tried to bring workers out of nearby factories, prompting employees from several establishments to join the protest.

Police arrived and dispersed the demonstrators.

Meanwhile, workers at the ICCL factory and several nearby factories in Naojor took to the Dhaka-Tangail highway after news of the protests spread. They also attempted to bring workers from other factories into the demonstration.

Following the unrest, authorities declared a one-day holiday at six factories in Kashimpur, Jorun and Naojor. The number of factories announcing closures could increase, sources said.

Gazipur Industrial Police-2 Superintendent of Police Md. Amjad Hossain said workers from two factories in Kashimpur and Jorun had staged protests and later attempted to bring employees of neighbouring factories into the demonstrations.

Six factories subsequently announced holidays, and the workers returned home peacefully, he said.

Police remained deployed in different industrial areas to prevent further incidents.

BGB deploys 36 platoons

Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) deployed 36 platoons in industrial areas of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj to strengthen security and maintain law and order.

BGB Public Relations Officer Md. Shariful Islam confirmed the deployment on Tuesday.

He said personnel were on high alert and working in coordination with local administration and police.

Of the 36 platoons, 14 were deployed in Savar and Ashulia, three in Mirpur in the capital, nine in Narayanganj and 10 in various industrial areas of Gazipur.

Two special patrol operations were also underway in Narayanganj and surrounding areas.

The BGB Headquarters Monitoring Cell was conducting special surveillance to monitor the situation in industrial zones and coordinate field operations.

Officials were continuously monitoring live footage from drones, body-worn cameras and other surveillance devices, Shariful Islam said.

He added that patrols and surveillance would continue to maintain peace, protect workers and industrial establishments, and ensure the uninterrupted movement of the public.

BGB personnel remained on high alert to respond to any untoward situation, he said.