Apparel, textile units to remain closed until further instruction

Country's apparel and textile manufacturers have decided to keep their production units closed until further instruction amid growing unrest across the country that left scores of people dead on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the apex body of the readymade garment sector, on Sunday requested all its members to keep their units shut due to the emerging situation.

Meanwhile, the member mills of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) will also remain closed during the three-day general holidays beginning today (Monday).

The trade body announced the closure following a fire set at one of its member mills in Gazipur on Sunday.

"In view of the deteriorated law and order situation in the country and the government's declaration of general holiday on August 5-7, all the BTMA member mills will remain closed during this period," BTMA Secretary General Zakir said in a text message.

The decision on opening of the mills will be taken based on the situation and further government declaration, he added.

A spinning mill named Outpace Spinning in Gazipur was burnt as outsiders set fire on Sunday noon, a BTMA official said, adding there were other incidents in some mills.

In Narayanganj, production in most ready-made garment factories remained suspended on Sunday amid the ongoing unrest.

According to factory owners, workers entered their respective workplaces on Sunday morning and started production, but some outsiders provoked them to leave the factories.

As a result, workers of Eurotex Knitwear Ltd. and IFS Texwear Pvt Ltd. left their workplaces and took to the streets.

Following them, workers of several other factories located at Narayanganj BSCIC and Fatullah came out, prompting other factory owners to declare a holiday to protect their establishments, said Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Vice President Fazle Shamim Ehsan.

Talking to the FE, Abdullah Hil Rakib, BGMEA vice-president, said production in some factories in Gazipur came to a halt as the workers left their workplaces after 3:00 pm.

Scores of people were killed in clashes among protesters, members of law-enforcement agencies and members of front organisations of the ruling party across the country.

Mr Rakib, however, said they would try to keep operations on Monday like that of what they tried during the last holidays by using workers' identity cards as curfew passes.

He also confirmed a few incidents of bringing workers out of the factories and said that most factories in Gazipur were in operation on Sunday.

However, they will try to hold a meeting with the government to seek permission for operating the units during the curfew and general holidays, he added.

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