A total of 31 garment factories in Dhaka’s Savar area were closed on Tuesday amid workers’ dissatisfaction and protests, while a worker of Mascot Group died in a clash between two groups of labourers.

Among the closed factories in Savar, 15 were shut down for an indefinite period. Meanwhile, workers of 16 other garment factories left the premises mid-day.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Mohammad Sarowar Alam said Rokeya Begum, a worker of Mascot Group, died after she got struck by brick chips hurled during a clash on Tuesday.

“Rokeya Begum died as bricks were hurled at her and others from the nearby Radiance factory. The situation has improved now.” he said.

Sources said the Mascot Group factory, located beside the Jirabo-Bishmail road, was closed for the last few days due to the ongoing worker unrest. On Tuesday morning, the workers of Mascot Group gathered in front of the factory and started a protest demanding the reopening of the factory.

At one stage, brickbats were thrown at the protesters by workers of Radiance Knitwear Ltd adjacent to Mascot Group, said the protesting workers.

According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), out of 272 garment factories in Savar, 253 ran operations on Tuesday.

Fifteen factories in the area were closed under the Section 13 (1) of the Labour Act. Four factories opened, but closed by midday, and 12 more factories closed in the afternoon, said the BGMEA.

The closed factories included those of Mascot Garments, Mascot Knits, Mascot Fashions, Radiance Jeans, Radiance Fashion, Scandex, Hamza Clothing, RK Knit, Sun Apparels, Tech Max, Shin Shin Apparels, Pearl Garments, Generation Next, Europa and Susuka Knits.

“Besides, factories of Radiance Knitwear, S-21 Apparels, Compfit Composite (Unit-2) and Southern Garments declared closure after running operations till noon. Besides, workers of 12 factories left after lunch,” BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel said.

He also said 260 factories have cleared the salary and allowances for the month of August. Overall, some 94.31% of the factories under the BGMEA have cleared all the dues up to August.

Speaking about the worker’s death, BGMEA Senior Vice President Abdullah Hil Rakib said Rokeya died when brick chips hit her. An announcement has been made to provide her family Tk5 lakh as compensation.

“From Saturday, the Mascot Garments will be reopened. The owner will bear all expenses of the injured workers,” he added.