Ashulia and Gazipur Factories Idle as Garment Workers Press Tk 30,000 Wage Demand for Third Day

Industrial zones on the outskirts of Dhaka remained unsettled on Tuesday as garment workers continued their campaign for higher wages, shutting down additional factories and forcing intermittent road closures across Ashulia, Savar, Gazipur and parts of Mirpur.

The demonstrations, which began over the weekend, centre on a demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. Workers say current pay levels no longer cover basic household expenses amid rising prices for food, rent and transport. Many also want clearer guarantees against blacklisting and sudden layoffs. Although a new wage board has already been formed, participants in the protests argue that they have received little information about its composition or timeline, leaving them unconvinced that meaningful relief is imminent.

By late morning, industrial police reported that at least 70 factories in the Ashulia area had declared holidays, while workers at several other units stopped production after clocking in. Similar patterns appeared in Savar, where groups of workers left factory floors and moved onto surrounding roads. In Gazipur, demonstrators blocked stretches of the Dhaka-Tangail highway, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours. In Mirpur, authorities closed the Mirpur-11 metro station after crowds gathered nearby, with trains ordered to bypass the stop.

Police deployed tear gas and baton charges at multiple locations, particularly along the Baipail-Abdullahpur road in Ashulia, to disperse workers who had set up temporary blockades. Officers described a series of chases and counter-chases through industrial lanes as workers regrouped after being scattered. Isolated incidents of vehicles being set alight and minor damage to factory property were also recorded, though authorities said large-scale violence had so far been avoided. Dozens of police personnel have sustained injuries since the protests escalated, according to official tallies, while worker groups claim many of their colleagues were hurt during the confrontations.

Factory owners have responded by declaring holidays at hundreds of units over the past two days in an effort to reduce tension and protect equipment. Manufacturers warn that prolonged disruption threatens export orders and could lead to further layoffs if buyers shift production elsewhere. Bangladesh remains the world's second-largest garment exporter, and any extended slowdown in the industrial belts north and west of Dhaka carries implications for employment and foreign exchange earnings.

Labour organisers maintain that the protests are largely spontaneous and driven by immediate economic pressure rather than political direction. They note that inflation has eroded real wages in recent years and that many workers struggle to support families on existing salaries. Government officials have repeatedly stated that the newly constituted wage board will address the demands through formal negotiation, yet workers on the ground say they have seen little concrete progress so far.

Local administration and industrial police have increased patrols and urged workers to return to their jobs while talks continue. As of Tuesday afternoon, the situation remained fluid, with some factories still closed and small groups of workers continuing to move between industrial clusters. Authorities are monitoring whether the unrest will ease once the wage board begins substantive discussions or whether further factory closures and road blockades will extend into the coming days. Both manufacturers and labour representatives have called for dialogue, but the gap between the current wage structure and the workers' demand of Tk 30,000 remains wide, leaving the industrial belt under continued strain.