Concern is growing among garment factory owners over the ongoing worker unrest, protests, and incidents of vandalism in ready-made garment factories.
Current and former leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), along with several top entrepreneurs, held discussions on whether it will be possible to keep factories running if the situation is not brought under control. Although a press conference was scheduled for Tuesday evening to announce the outcome of the meeting, it ultimately did not take place.
The meeting was held on Tuesday (3 November) afternoon at BGMEA’s office in Uttara, Dhaka. Several top entrepreneurs from the garment industry and former leaders of the organization participated. The discussion focused on the situation created over the past few days by workers’ work stoppages, walkouts from factories, vandalism, and clashes.
According to related sources, participants exchanged views on whether it is possible to continue production operations under the current risky conditions. The possibility of taking a tough decision such as closing factories if the situation does not improve was also discussed. The decisions of the meeting were supposed to be shared at the evening press conference.
Earlier, on Sunday (1 November), garment factory owners had said that factories could be closed for an indefinite period if workers continued protests without returning to work. The matter was discussed at an emergency meeting of BGMEA’s general members held at the organization’s office in the context of the ongoing labor unrest. The meeting was chaired by BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan.
At that meeting, a few entrepreneurs favored keeping factories closed from Monday. However, the majority of owners supported continuing production activities. Their position was that if the situation does not return to normal and disorder continues in the factories, a decision to close the factories might eventually have to be implemented.
BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said they hope workers will return to work peacefully after the formation of the wage board. However, he added that any disorder in the name of the movement would have to be viewed as having a different motive.
It may be noted that a new six-member wage board was formed on 1 November amid workers’ demands for higher wages in the ready-made garment industry. Despite this, labor unrest has continued in various areas. In several factories, workers have been leaving without working. Incidents of vandalism and clashes have also occurred in some places. This has disrupted production in the garment industry and raised concerns about factory security.