Garment workers and labor organizers gathered in Ashulia, Savar, on Friday morning to raise five key demands, including timely payment of wages and Eid bonuses. The program was organized by Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Solidarity in front of Hashem Plaza in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) area ahead of International Women’s Day.
Workers from various factories began assembling from around 9:30 AM, and a meeting was held at approximately 10:30 AM. The event was moderated by Sabina Yasmin, Women’s Affairs Secretary of the organization’s central committee. Speakers included Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Solidarity president Taslima Akhtar, General Secretary Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, and Roknuzzaman Moni, Executive Coordinator of the Mass Solidarity Movement’s Ashulia branch.
The workers’ demands included payment of salaries, bonuses, and arrears within the deadlines announced by the government, reopening of closed factories, six months of paid maternity leave, ensuring women’s safety, and greater participation of workers in decision-making processes. Participants carried placards reading “Pay salary and bonuses before Eid,” “Ensure six months of paid maternity leave,” and “Reopen closed factories.”
After the meeting, workers held a procession from Hashem Plaza that moved along the Nabinagar–Chandra highway toward Nabinagar and ended at the Bypail intersection. Labor leaders said that despite women’s long-standing role in the garment sector since the 1980s, many workers continue to face insecurity, unemployment due to factory closures, and limited access to workplace protections.
Source: Prothom Alo
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