FACTORIES VANDALISED
Factory owners said the industry faces higher costs, energy market uncertainty linked to conflict in the Middle East and slowing demand in key export markets.
Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said around 20 to 25 factories were vandalised during the unrest and the office of a leather goods factory was also attacked.
“If this continues and factories are repeatedly forced to shut, we will have no option but to invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ provision,” he said.
Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed warned of robust action: “Those acting against workers’ interests under the guise of labour protests and attempting to destabilise the country will be dealt with firmly,” he said.
Selim Raihan, an economics professor at the University of Dhaka, said that workers’ demands were understandable given high inflation and said there could be further unrest.
However, a substantial wage increase could raise production costs, squeeze profit margins and weaken Bangladesh‘s price competitiveness, he said.
“A phased wage adjustment, improved productivity and fairer pricing from international buyers are essential to balancing workers’ welfare with industrial sustainability,” he said.
