Govt to form wage board today as RMG unrest spreads

Ashulia and Gazipur emerge as protest hotspots

Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain, who oversees the Gazipur region, told The Business Standard that workers from around 20 factories took to the streets yesterday afternoon, including those from large manufacturers such as MM Knitwear Limited and PN Composite Limited.

However, MM Knitwear Managing Director Md Mafizul Islam said workers at his factory were not primarily responsible for the disruption. He said outsiders had entered the factory premises and created trouble, prompting the management to release workers after noon. He declined to comment on who was behind the incident.

According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), around 30 factories, including Naim Knitwear, announced holidays in the Kathgora area of Ashulia and neighbouring locations amid the unrest.

Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan said a police officer was injured in the head by bricks thrown by protesting workers and was receiving treatment at a hospital.

Police sources said workers at Naim Knitwear initially stopped work in the morning before leaving the factory and staging demonstrations. They later threw bricks and stones at several nearby factories, triggering clashes and chases between workers and police. One police officer was injured during the incident.

An official at a garment factory in the Kathgora Amtala area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most factories in the vicinity, except three, had announced holidays. His factory was monitoring the situation before deciding whether to suspend operations.

Wage board announcement expected today

Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury yesterday urged workers to return to their workplaces, saying the government will announce the formation of a minimum wage board for the garment sector on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said the decision followed several rounds of meetings with representatives of factory owners at the Labour Building in the capital on Friday and Saturday.

“The decision has been taken to announce the wage board tomorrow (Sunday). Workers’ representatives have also submitted a list of their nominees to the board. The announcement will be published in the gazette tomorrow,” he said.

The minister said the formation of a wage board had been one of the workers’ key demands and urged them to resume work now that the government had decided to meet it.

Under the previous provisions of the labour law, wage boards were to be formed every five years. However, the schedule was not consistently followed. After wage increases in 2010 and 2013, the latest revision came into effect in December 2023.

Towards the end of the previous interim government’s tenure, the labour law was amended to provide for the formation of wage boards every three years. The current three-year period will end in December 2026.

Workers’ leaders had been demanding that the new board be formed ahead of December so that the wage revision process could begin in time. The government announced an initiative to form a new board in October, but protests over higher wages began in Uttara in mid-October and spread to different parts of Mirpur last week.

Owners warn of temporary factory closures

Garment manufacturers have expressed concern over workers reporting to factories but refusing to work and subsequently taking to the streets.

Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), told TBS that manufacturers had been informed that the government would form the wage board and issue a gazette notification on Sunday.

“If workers still do not return to work after that, we will be compelled to close factories temporarily under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act,” he said.

Section 13(1) allows employers to temporarily suspend factory operations under certain circumstances, including when workers refuse to work. Under this provision, workers do not receive wages for the period during which operations remain suspended.

Industry stakeholders remain uncertain whether the announcement of the wage board alone will be enough to bring workers back to their workplaces.

However, labour leader Babul Akter expressed optimism that workers will return once the board is formed.

Allegations of third-party involvement

Although the government has initiated the process of forming a new wage board, officials from the government, factory owners and labour organisations have declined to publicly identify the reasons behind the sudden spread of unrest.

However, representatives from all three sides have suggested that outside groups may be trying to exploit the situation.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain said the police have information about the matter but do not want to disclose details at this stage.

The BKMEA president said the government has information about those seeking to create unrest in the industrial sector and might take a tougher stance from today.

Labour leader Tauhidul Islam said several factors could be involved, adding that an outside group was trying to take advantage of the situation.

Babul Akter also alleged outside involvement and blamed current opposition parties for their role, although no evidence was presented to substantiate the allegations.

Labour and Employment Ministry Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder indicated that the government could take action against those involved in the unrest.

“If anyone other than workers is behind these incidents, action will be taken against them,” he told TBS.

Rejecting allegations by labour leaders that the government has delayed the wage board process, he said the formation of such boards involved procedures that had to be followed, as had been the case in the past.