Garment sector is reeling under Yunus’ ‘no’ attitude, highway blockade continues to demand salaries and Eid bonuses

POBNEWS24, Dhaka Mar 29, 2025 :  August 5, 2024 As a result of the change in the status quo in Bangladesh, all sectors have come to a standstill. The garment sector, the main export earner, is stagnant. Thousands of workers of Beximco Fabrics have become unemployed. The Yunus government’s ‘no’ attitude in favor of workers has caused the garment sector, the main export factor of the economy, to fall.
The closure of one industrial factory after another in the country has affected investment. Credit growth in the private sector has reached its lowest level in 42 months.
Due to the lack of establishment of new industrial factories at rising interest rates, imports of capital equipment have decreased. Analysts say this will have a negative impact on employment and tax collection, which is not a good sign for the country’s economy.
It is known that more than 100 factories in the ready-made garment sector have closed in the last six months. About 10 textile mills have closed in a few months. In July-September last year, 83 companies were completely closed. In addition, many factories in the cement, steel and paper industries have closed. There are daily protests demanding their dues. On Saturday, workers protested in different parts of the country.
Cotton mill workers in the Bhuiyaganti area of ​​the Bogra highway are protesting by blocking the highway demanding salaries and Eid bonuses. Traffic was stopped.
Workers of the ‘RR Spinning and Cotton Mill’ factory in the Bhuiyaganti area blocked the Dhaka-Bogra highway at around 2:30 pm on Saturday and started protesting. Later, around 3:15 pm, the army and highway police went to the spot and persuaded the workers to move them from the highway and took them in front of the factory, and traffic flow returned to normal.
Hatikumrul Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdur Rouf said that the workers had taken up positions on the highway without getting their salaries and Eid bonuses. After that, they went to the spot and persuaded the workers to move them from the road. Traffic is now normal.
Protesting worker Fazlul Haque told the media, “We have started the protest because we have not been paid this month’s salary and Eid bonus.”
Abdul Mannan, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of R R Spinning and Cotton Mill, said that about four hundred workers work in the factory. None of them have outstanding salaries. But they blocked the highway because they were not paid this month’s salary. Later, the army and police removed them from the highway. Now we are trying to pay their salaries.
Five garment factories in Gazipur have not yet received salaries and bonuses. This has ruined the joy of Eid for the workers of those factories and their families.
According to Gazipur Industrial Police sources, Zara Composite in Kashimpur, NZ Apparels in Mogarkhal area, Style Craft in Tinsad area, HDF Apparels in Jainabazar area of ​​Sreepur and Hag Knitwear in Kamrangachala area of ​​Kaliakair upazila. The workers of these factories have not received their salaries and bonuses yet.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent AKM Zahirul Islam said that the owners of Zara Knit Composite and Hag Knitwear factories are missing. As a result, 400 workers of Zara and 300 workers of Hag Knitwear have been deprived of their salaries and Eid bonuses.
On the other hand, 2,300 workers of HDF Apparels are deprived of their salaries and bonuses. The factory authorities have assured the workers that they will pay their salaries and bonuses after Eid.
And out of the 3,600 workers of TNZ’s five factories, the authorities have paid the salaries of the workers of one factory. 1,900 workers who were laid off from Style Craft were protesting demanding their arrears of salaries and allowances. Despite many efforts, the Labor Ministry could not resolve their problems and imposed a ban on the owners from traveling abroad. The workers are no longer in protest. Even so, discussions are ongoing regarding the two factories.
In addition, more than 500 workers of Hong Kong Fashion in Tongi’s Pagar area blocked the road on Friday after not receiving their February salary and Eid bonus. Later, based on discussions, the authorities paid 65 percent of the outstanding salary after Friday evening. The remaining outstanding salary was assured to be paid after Eid.
Out of a total of 9,695 industrial factories in the garment and textile sector, factories under BEPZA, jute mills and some other sectors, 7,224 factories have not paid their March salary.
And 122 garment factories have not yet paid their February salary and 30 have not paid their January salary. In addition, 723 garment factories have not yet paid their Eid bonus.
30 factories have outstanding salaries for January or earlier. This information has been revealed by industrial police sources. According to a report by the industrial police, a total of 2,890 garment factories under BGMEA, BKMEA, BTMA and BEPZA are currently operating. Of these, 2,768 companies have paid salaries for the month of February as of 10 am on Thursday.
30 more factories have outstanding salaries for workers in January or the previous month. For the current March, 422 factories have paid half of their salaries in advance. Although the salaries of the workers were supposed to be paid within the first seven working days of the following month, some factories have not yet been able to comply.
According to industrial police sources, out of a total of 9,695 factories in the country, including jute mills and other industries, 6,673 companies have paid Eid-ul-Fitr bonuses, of which 1,835 factories have paid March salaries. March salaries are still outstanding in 7,860 factories. This is about 81.7 percent of the total factories.
Meanwhile, the government has banned the owners of 12 factories from traveling abroad for not paying the salaries and bonuses of the workers within the time set by the government. Even after that, many owners have fled the country.