DHAKA: Hundreds of factories which form the hub of Bangladesh’s garment industry are to close indefinitely following workers strike sparked by the death of more than 1,100 colleagues, Shahidullah Azim, of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said yesterday.
As the search for bodies from last month’s collapse of a factory complex wrapped up, Azim said operations at the nearby Ashulia industrial zone were being suspended until further notice.
He said the decision to shut down factories at Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka, was made “to ensure the security of our factories”.
Local police chief Badrul Alam said workers in 80 percent of the factories walked out earlier in the day to demand an increase in wages and the execution of the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza complex in the town of Savar.
Most garment factories are based at Ashulia and there has been “virtually no work” since the April 24 tragedy, Azim said.
News of indefinite closure represents yet another blow to the industry which has pleaded with Western retailers not to pull out of Bangladesh and promised to come up with a credible safety framework.
The army said it was wrapping up its search for bodies at Savar, saying it now believed 1,127 people were killed. The general in charge of efforts said he was handing over operational control to civilian administrators.
Many of the three million employed in the industry earn a basic $40 a month, condemned as “slave labour” by Pope Francis.
Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi micro-loan pioneer who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, urged manufacturers and Western retailers to ensure that garment workers are paid a living wage.
The government approved changes in labour laws to make it easier for trade unions to organise. Authorities said they had filed criminal cases against at least 177 factories after they failed to ensure safety measures. The owners face a maximum three months in jail if found guilty. aGENCIES
