Most of the shuttered readymade garment factories in Ashulia and Gazipur industrial zones, which had halted production amid labour unrest, reopened their doors on Tuesday.
With this latest resumption, nearly 100 closed apparel-manufacturing units have revived operations in the industrial zones over the past two days, according to apparel manufacturers and industrial police.
However, around 30 factories remained closed on Tuesday, which they anticipated would resume operations today (Wednesday).
"In response to BGMEA's [Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association] call to return to work, workers informed the manufacturers that they are ready to resume production," BGMEA president Faruque Hassan said in a press release on Tuesday.
Most of around 30 closed factories resumed apparel manufacturing on Monday in Gazipur -- the hotspot of the labour tumult. Some three factories, which were out of production on the previous day, reopened their doors on Tuesday.
Mr Hassan hoped that closed factories in Ashulia would also reopen on Wednesday.
He added that some factories in Mirpur remained closed as discussions with workers continued but would resume operations shortly.
Bangladesh ranks among the world's top garment exporters, with the industry accounting for nearly 85 per cent of the South Asian country's $55 billion in annual exports. Around 3,500 garment factories in the country manufacture clothing for some of the world's largest retailers and brands.
But conditions remain dire for many of the four million apparel workers. Faced with spiralling commodity prices, thousands of workers took to the streets in the last week of October, demanding better pay.
Amidst the labour unrest, the authorities announced a pay rise in the first week of November, but the increased minimum apparel wage remained half of what the workers demanded - Tk23,000 to Tk25,000 per month.
Prior to the latest pay hike, the basic monthly wage for workers was a mere Tk 8,300.
Rejecting the pay increase, the workers walked out of the production lines and congregated in factory areas and highways. They engaged in clashes with security forces, resulting in factory damage and the deaths of at least four apparel workers.
To quell the escalating unrest, around 130 factories in Ashulia and Gazipur were forced to close, with the manufacturers implementing a "no work, no pay" policy -- a provision stipulated in the labour law.
As the government on November 12 finalised Tk 12,500 as the minimum apparel wage and the prime minister asked the workers to return to work, the labour situation began to normalise.
Apparel manufacturers and industrial police confirmed on Tuesday that the situation was now under control. The workers were returning to their respective workplaces without reports of any labour issues.
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