At least 10 people were injured when a clash broke out between ready-made garments (RMG) workers and law enforcers in Ashulia area of Savar upazila on Tuesday (May 23, 2023) as the workers blocked Baipail-Abdullahpur highway, police said. According to the workers, the authority of Fashion Forum Limited Garment declared the garment closed indefinitely as they went on a strike and stopped working from Monday on various demands. Read more: Bangladesh-Australia have huge opportunities to expand trade: BGMEA President  Observing the notice put at the gate last night, the workers started to block the Baipail-Abdullahpur highway and police intercepted them. Ashulia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamruzzaman confirmed the matter and said that additional police have been deployed in front of the factory to avoid any untoward incident. Read more: Dip in US market fails to dent apparel sector's growth momentum.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has directed keeping the scheduled banks open on April 19-21 (Wednesday to Friday) to facilitate payment of garment workers' salary, Eid bonus and allowances. The central bank has asked the banks to keep open the branches before Eid-ul-Fitr in the industrial areas including Dhaka metropolitan, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Bhaluka, and the industry related branches of banks located in Narayanganj and Chittagong ensuring adequate security. Read more: Gazette published fixing Tk 8,000 as minimum wage for RMG workers The Department of Off-site Supervision of Bangladesh Bank on Monday issued a circular in this regard

RMG workers set a truck on fire and vandalised several other vehicles, blocking Dhaka-Tangail highway following a coworker’s death in a road accident on the highway in Kaliakoir of Gazipur this morning. Atikur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Salna Highway Police Station, said a worker died as a bus hit him while crossing the highway in Hartakitola area this morning. Read more: RMG workers set fire to 4 buses over rumour in Gazipur The deceased was identified as Azadul Haque, 40, of Gaibandha. He used to work as a security guard at a denim factory in Chandra area. Agitated by the incident, RMG workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, vandalised vehicles on both sides of the highway, and set a truck on fire, said the OC. Read more: RMG workers stage demo for arrears in Gazipur; 10 hurt in clash with cops Later, police brought the situation under control, he added.

Readymade Garment (RMG) workers set fire to four buses and vandalised several others following a rumour over the death of one of their fellows on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Tuesday evening. Witnesses said a speeding bus of ‘Anabil Paribahan’ hit an elderly woman and her grandson while they were crossing the highway in Chhaydhan area around 6.45pm, leaving them injured. Read more: RMG workers stage demo in N’ganj over layoffs, dues A rumour was spread in the area that an RMG worker died after being hit by the bus. Enraged by the news, the workers set fire to four buses and vandalised several others resulting in long gridlocks on both sides of the highway. Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy director at Gazipur Fire Service and Civil Defence department, said on information two firefighting units rushed to the spot and tamed the flame. Read more: RMG workers stage demo for arrears in Gazipur; 10 hurt in clash with cops Md Alamgir Hossain, deputy commissioner (Traffic) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said the injured were admitted to a hospital and undergoing treatment there.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Switzerland-based international organisation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to provide better nutrition to the apparel sector workers. The two sides intended to improve the health status of the country’s RMG workers, which will have a positive impact on the lives of the workers in Bangladesh, according to a press release. Faruque Hassan, President of BGMEA, and Dr. Rudaba Khondker, Country Director of GAIN, signed the MoU at the BGMEA office on behalf of their respective sides, it said. Read more: BGMEA, GarmentTechBD to collaborate in improving supply chain management skills Mohammad Monower Hossain, joint secretary of BGMEA, Moniruzzaman Bipul, Portfolio Lead, Drivers of Food Systems Change, GAIN, G.M. Reza Sumon, Project Manager, GAIN, and others were present on the occasion. Under the MoU, there will be collaboration to create an enabling environment for ensuring the proper nutrition of the RMG workers in the future, it said. The two sides will provide technical guidance to strengthen the institutional capacity of the National WFN Alliance for scaling up nutrition activities for workers’ well-being. Read more: BGMEA, GarmentTechBD to collaborate in improving supply chain management skills Also, they will make collective approaches and mechanisms to improve workers' access to affordable, nutritious and safe food by establishing a Fair Price Shop (FPS) at factory premises, the press release added.

Workers of a garment factory at Fatullah in Narayanganj staged a protest on Tuesday morning against the retrenchment of workers without notice and demanding payment of two months’ arrears. The workers of Prime Textile Limited started demonstration in Nandalalpur area of Sadar Upazila Tuesday morning. Read more: RMG workers stage demo for arrears in Gazipur; 10 hurt in clash with cops The agitating workers claimed that the owner laid off 360 workers last month without giving any prior notice.  They announced that  another 650 employees  will also be retrenched. They said that they found a factory closure notice on the gate in the morning and started the protest.  Read more: RMG workers block road for dues in Chattogram The industrial police reached the area and spoke with the owners upon receiving the information. Demanding immediate payment of all arrears, they threatened to go for a tougher movement if their demands are not met. 

At least 10 people were injured during a clash between police and workers of a garment factory in Gazipur on Tuesday as they blocked Dhaka-Tangail highway demanding arrears. The workers of New Line Clothing Limited Factory put up blockaed on the highway near Mouchak area around 9 am, disrupting movement of all kind of vehicles on the road. Read more: Payments to 3,428 garment workers, families approved from Central Fund As police tried to remove them from the road agitated workers started throwing brick chips, leading to a chase-counter-chase, said Sahidur Rahman, in charge of Mouchak police outpost.

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Switzerland-based international development organisation, has come forward with consultancy assistance to set up shops at RMG factories to sell goods at comparatively lower prices to the workers.     Under the initiative, about 80,000 people (20,000 female workers and 60,000 family members) are likely to get benefits. This announcement came at a kick-off meeting titled ‘RMG Workers’ Access to Affordable Nutritious and Safe Food’ at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday. Read more: BGMEA for more partnerships between Bangladesh, Germany to unlock trade, investment potential GAIN organised the meeting with the participation of partner organizations and stakeholders to chalk out future strategy on technical assistance and how to make the initiative success. Mohammad Ehsan-E-Elahi, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, attended the meeting as chief guest while Moniruzzaman Bipul, portfolio lead of GAIN Bangladesh, delivered the welcome address and GM Reza Sumon, manager of workforce nutrition project of GAIN Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper. With Dr Rudaba Khondker, country director of GAIN Bangladesh, in the chair at the meeting where Dr Hasan Shariar Kabir, director general of Bangladesh National Nutrition Council and Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, among others spoke at the event. It was shared at the meeting that the project aims at ensuring access to nutritious foods for RMG workers with affordable prices and strengthening the food marketing management. It also aims at working for ensuring nutritious and safe foods for RMG workers so that they can play more productive role for production in the RMG sector. Praising the initiative, Mohammad Ehsan-E-Elahi called for the expansion of such facility to other factories across the country. Speakers said it is imperative to give priority to the issue of safe and nutritious food for the workers, for implementing the government’s Perspective Plan 2021-2041 and achieving SDGs. The speakers called upon those involved in production, processing, supply and marketing of foods to establish fair price shops with nutritious foods at factory areas along with encouraging the workers to take such foods.  Read more: Bangladesh to stay safe, sustainable apparel sourcing destination: BGMEA Mentionable, several shops have so far been set up at two factories at Ashulia and Gazipur with the support of GAIN. About 15,000 RMG workers along with their family members are entitled to buy essentials from those shops with a special discount.    

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Mastercard, have launched co-branded credit cards for the BGMEA members, and prepaid cards for more than 4.5 million readymade garments (RMG) workers. Mutual Trust Bank will issue the MasterCard World credit cards and the prepaid cards by Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL). The prepaid cards will help disbursement of garment workers' wages, the BGMEA said Saturday. The RMG workers of the BGMEA enlisted factories will get the SEBL MasterCard prepaid card, which is designed to provide more convenient, safer, and smarter options for payments rather than cash, it added. Mastercard World credit cards are designed for the BGMEA members and senior executives of its member factories, allowing cardholders to conduct local and cross-border transactions with ease and convenience. Read more: Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasion Cardholders can carry out dual-interface global transactions, which also support ATM, POS, QR, and e-commerce payments along with usage of travel lounge services locally and internationally. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan, Mastercard Country Manager Syed Mohammad Kamal, Mutual Trust Managing Director and CEO Syed Mahbubur Rahman, and SEBL Managing Director M Kamal Hossain signed the agreement. BGMEA directors Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee, Tanvir Ahmed, Mijanur Rahman, Neela Hosna Ara; Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Press, Publication and Publicity Shovon Islam, and Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on UD-Woven and Knit Md Nurul Islam were also present. Read more: Nagad launches service for paying Mastercard Credit Card Bill  

Motijheel and its adjacent areas witnessed a huge traffic jam on Tuesday morning as workers of a RMG factory blocked roads protesting relocation of their factory to Keraniganj. According to the workers, the authority of Olio Apparels Ltd has relocated the factory from North Kamalapur area in the capital to Keraniganj without any prior notice. At least 400 to 500 workers put up barricade at different points in Motijheel area at 8:30 am, hampering movement of vehicles, said Yasir Arafat, officer-in-Charge of Motijheel police station.