Garment Unrest in Ashulia: Police Box Torched, Factories Shut

Unrest over wages spread across several industrial pockets near Dhaka on Sunday, as garment workers demanding a minimum monthly salary of 30,000 taka clashed with police, set a police box on fire and blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway.

The Konabari area was the epicentre of the violence. Protesters torched a police box on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, and the road was blocked for hours. Border Guard Bangladesh deployed five platoons to restore order.

The agitation began around 9:30 in the morning. Workers blocked the highway, leading to complete traffic paralysis. They also occupied roads in Mauchak, Chandra Poli Bidyut, Safipur Bazar and Telichala in Kaliakair upazila, shouting slogans for better pay.

The Dhaka Tribune reported that employees from different factories joined the protest. Operations at several factories were disrupted, and some units had to halt production.

Iftikhar Hossain, in charge of Konabari police station, confirmed that the police box on the highway was set on fire by protesters. Shahidul Islam, in charge of Kaliakair police station, said vehicles could not move because workers continued to keep the road blocked.

The Daily Star, quoting industrial police, reported that over 50 garment factories in Ashulia declared a holiday on Sunday after workers protested in the area.

Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, an end to alleged blacklisting and other amenities. Staff from several factories stopped working and gathered on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road in Narsingpur to press their demand for better wages.

A protest had earlier been held in Ashulia on Saturday by workers from various garment factories. Following that demonstration, at least 11 factories in Kathgara and nearby areas announced closures. Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said a policeman was injured after protesters pelted stones.

During the protest, workers and police also clashed. Demonstrators threw bricks and stones at factories in the vicinity, injuring a police officer. An official of a garment factory in the Kathgara Amtala area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most factories in the area had declared a holiday.

Workers say rising inflation has made it increasingly difficult to live on their current wages. They have long been seeking a higher minimum wage and better working conditions.