BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan announced the decision on Saturday after an emergency meeting at the association's office in Uttara, Dhaka. Leaders of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) also attended and backed the move.
Khan said most owners supported invoking Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Act if normal operations cannot be ensured. The provision allows employers to suspend operations and withhold wages when production is disrupted. He said the industry hopes the government will quickly restore law and order.
On Saturday, 147 factories employing about 300,000 workers could not operate. Of them, 55 were declared closed under Section 13(1). BGMEA said production has been disrupted for seven to 12 days in some factories in Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur.
Owners cited repeated demonstrations, vandalism and work stoppages. BGMEA leaders said workers in some factories have left their workplaces after clocking in, while others have allegedly been involved in attacks on industrial establishments.
Khan described the closures as a difficult but unavoidable step to protect the industry. He said protests before November 1 could be considered justified, but those since then could not. He also alleged that the protests after the wage board's formation were aimed at pressuring owners into an unreasonable wage increase.
On Saturday morning, workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair, Gazipur, in a protest over wages. The blockade lasted about two and a half hours and was cleared around 11:30am. Police fired tear gas and sound grenades, and several workers were injured. At least 20 people were detained. Workers from 11 nearby factories joined the protest, and those factories declared holidays.
Garment workers have been demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. Worker representatives on the minimum wage board have proposed Tk 32,000. Owners are to submit their proposal at the board's next meeting on Monday, and Khan said BGMEA would attend.
On Friday, leaders of five labor federations urged workers to return to work and allow the wage board process to proceed. They pointed to recent labor law amendments that raise the annual wage increment from 5 percent to 9 percent and shorten the wage review period from five years to three. They also acknowledged that current wages are inadequate given rising prices of essentials.
