Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Over the past two weeks, Bangladesh’s dissatisfied garment industry workers have increasingly turned to protests, culminating on Wednesday with a chemical warehouse set on fire in Kashimpur (Gazipur district).
The workers, who are protesting over back wages, prevented fire services from extinguishing the blaze at the Big-Boss factory, part of the Beximco Group, with plant assets reportedly looted.
Salman F Rahman, owner of the Beximco group and a former member of Parliament for Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, is currently in custody. The former prime minister fled on 5 August after student protests demanding her resignation.
The unrest has led to the closure of 183 garment factories, including 54 in the Savar-Ashulia-Jirani area, and 12 in Gazipur. Many workers were laid off because of lack of work.
The garment industry, a mainstay of Bangladesh’s exports, is at risk of considerable losses due to these disruptions, jeopardising international orders. Many fear that sales to foreign buyers will not be renewed for next season.
