The Bangladesh Army, police and industrial police in Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur will launch a joint operation tonight to safeguard the ready-made garment (RMG) industries.
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has issued the directive, BGMEA President Khandaker Rafiqul Islam told journalists after a meeting at the Secretariat.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the BGMEA and BKMEA with the home affairs adviser this afternoon (2 September).
At the meeting, the home adviser said the army, police, and industrial police should take swift action to bring those involved in creating chaos under the law by tonight.
He also asked the factory owners to keep all their establishments open from tomorrow to keep the wheels of the economy moving.
Earlier today, workers seeking jobs were protesting in Ashulia by blocking the Nabinagar-Chandra and Baipail-Abdullahpur roads, demanding equal employment opportunities for men and women in RMG factories, among other demands.
The workers gathered in front of various factories along the Dhaka EPZ and Baipail-Abdullahpur roads to begin their demonstration for employment this morning.
At one point, the protesting workers placed barricades at various points on the Nabinagar-Chandra and Baipail-Abdullahpur roads. They started throwing bricks and stones at the factories, causing severe traffic congestion.
At least 30 factories in the area were forced to declare a holiday amid the protests, according to the industrial police.
While the industrial police and army members managed to clear the Baipail-Abdullahpur road of barricades, the blockade in front of DEPZ on the Nabinagar-Chandra road remained as of filing this report.
"Today's workers are protesting for employment. They also demand equal employment rates for men and women in garment factories, among other demands," Md Sarwar Alam, the superintendent of industrial police-1, told South Asian Times over phone.
"With the help of army members, we managed to free the Baipail-Abdullahpur road from the blockade, but barricades in front of the DEPZ are still there. Due to the situation, among the factories on either side of the road, at least 30 factories, including Hamim Group and Sharmin Group, have announced a holiday," he added.
