Published: 12:19 AM, 15 November 2026
Owners can keep factories closed if workers don't rejoin: BGMEA
Garment factory owners can keep their units closed if workers do not turn up for work, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said amid ongoing labour unrest.
The position was announced after an emergency meeting of garment manufacturers on Saturday, attended by around 200 factory owners to discuss the worsening situation.
BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Mahmud said production had ground to a halt in parts of Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur, leaving many factories unable to operate.
Factories affiliated with the BGMEA and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) cannot function without adequate security and a workable environment, he said.
Fifty-five factories have already been shut under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act. Another 92 tried to resume production on Saturday but failed, taking the number of non-operational factories to 147.
The owners of those 92 factories can also invoke the provision to keep their units closed from Sunday, Mahmud said. With an average of around 2,000 workers at each factory, the disruption has affected approximately 300,000 workers.
"No trade body can shut a factory on its own. Factories that cannot work in this chaos are being forced to close," he said.
Owners had tried to keep production running through 12 to 14 days of unrest at the request of the BGMEA and the government, he claimed. But workers were unable to work for more than an hour a day.
"So they have the legal right, and they will use it," he added.
Mahmud alleged that a section of workers, encouraged by outside groups, were disrupting factory operations and preventing others from working.
He said workers were leaving factories after punching their attendance cards because of an atmosphere of fear and disorder.
He also alleged that groups were throwing brickbats at other factories and forcing workers to leave, further disrupting production.
The unrest was damaging the garment industry's international reputation and hurting the national economy, he said.
A workers' representative on the wage board had also said no labour organization was involved in the vandalism and disorder, Mahmud noted.
He criticized labour federations for failing to rein in their field-level representatives and members, urging them to help restore order at factories where they had a presence.
>>Saiful Alam, AA
