Garment factories closure: owners to shut units from today under Section 13(1) as 147 factories stall

Garment factories closure is now on the table across Bangladesh's main industrial belts: owners say factories hit by unrest will be shut from today, Sunday 15 November, under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act if workers do not return to work. BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan announced the decision at a press conference at the association's office in Uttara, Dhaka, on Saturday, 14 November. Leaders of the knitwear makers' body BKMEA were also present.

How many factories are already shut

According to BGMEA, 55 factories in Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur were declared closed indefinitely under Section 13(1) on Saturday. Another 92 factories tried to restart production that day but could not. In total, 147 factories had no production on Saturday. Together they employ about 300,000 workers.

The BGMEA president did not say how many factories would close from Sunday. He said the number may change because unrest does not hit the same factories every day. Owners argue that they cannot keep a factory running when workers do not turn up, and that the law gives them the right to close.

What Section 13(1) means for workers

Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 lets an employer close an establishment when worker unrest stops production. Workers are not paid for the closure period, a rule known in the industry as "no work, no pay".

In practice, workers at a factory that closes this way may lose wages for the days it stays shut. Owners, for their part, say that missed shipments could cost them buyers at a time when many export orders are placed.

How it got here: a short timeline

• October-November: Protests demanding higher wages spread across Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Mirpur, with highway blockades and clashes in several places.
• 1 November: The government formed a minimum wage board for garment workers. Owners warned the same day that they could close factories under Section 13(1).
• Second wage board meeting: The workers' representative proposed a minimum monthly wage of Tk 32,000.
• 14 November: 55 factories shut, 147 without production; owners announce closures from Sunday.
• 16 November (Monday): Third wage board meeting, where owners will present their proposal.

The BGMEA president asked why disorder had grown after the wage board was formed. He alleged that a section of workers, encouraged by outside groups, was behind vandalism and intimidation that hurt the industry's international image. Workers' organisations did not give a separate response at the press conference. BGMEA urged the government to keep law and order in the industrial zones.

Situation in the industrial belts

Industrial police and other law enforcement units are deployed in Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur. The situation has calmed somewhat since the wage talks started but is not fully back to normal. Owners say that in some factories workers clock in and leave soon after, so little work gets done in a day.

Ready-made garments bring in the largest share of Bangladesh's export earnings. The October to February-March period is the peak season for orders, which is why owners see stoppages now as especially costly.

What happens next

All eyes are on Monday's wage board meeting and the figure owners put forward. BGMEA says it will present its proposal despite the unrest. How many factories stay shut from today depends on whether workers return and how the wage talks progress. Priyo News 24 will update this story as the situation changes.