All ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Ashulia area will close sine die from Monday following fresh outbreaks of violent protests by workers.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Atiqul Islam announced this at a press briefing on Monday.The BGMEA took the decision after hectic meetings with owners of the factories, and members of BGMEA and BKMEA as per the Section 13 (A) of the Labour Act. The workers will not receive any salary during the suspension, the BGMEA leader said.
Earlier in the day, the authorities of at least 100 apparel factories in Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka suspended production in the face of agitation by workers demanding pay hike, benefits and workplace safety.
Atiqul Islam said that workers of most of the factories came to work, punched their cards, passed idle time or came out of their units and staged demonstration.
Considering the security of both personnel and factories in the present circumstances, Islam said owners of the factories requested the BGMEA to call for meeting and declare closure of the factories as they were unable to continue the production. Factory owners from Mirpur, Savar and Tajgoan also attended the meeting and made a similar urge to the BGMEA.
The BGMEA president said that people with vested interests had become active to destroy the country’s RMG sector by capitalizing on the Savar mishap. He urged all, including the workers, to resist the ploy, work sincerely, maintain discipline and help owners to keep the factory running.
He, however, warned that if the situation deteriorated and they failed to maintain production, then the owners will be forced to close their units as per Section 13 (1) of the labour law. “We will have no alternative but to shut down factories if the situation worsens,” said Islam. If the factories are closed, the workers won’t receive payment during the suspension.
He urged the government to identify the persons responsible for the unrest and take action against those.
The briefing was attended among others by former caretaker adviser Tapon Chowdhy, FBCCI former president AK Azad, BKMEA president Salim Osman, BGMEA former presidents Shafiul Islam, Salam Murshedy and BGMEA office bearers.
Apparel manufacturers who attended the meeting narrated the situation in their units and sought immediate steps to restore normalcy, otherwise they sought permission from BGMEA to close their units.
Earlier in the day, protests by RMG workers forced the closure of over 100 factories in Ashulia.
Ashulia police station officer Mostafa Kamal said the workers started demonstrating on the factory premises around 8 am. They pelted stones at the factories and smashed windows. The workers then blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for almost an hour.
Some workers were injured when police charged at them with batons to bring the situation under control. The agitators dispersed around 11 am, police said.
Factories of Knit Asia, Deco Group, Ha-Meem Group, The Red Dresses Limited, Star Link Style Limited and Shade Fashions were forced to close down for the day following the protests.
Ha-Meem Group deputy managing director Delwar Hossain said workers came into the factory as usual and signed the attendance register. But they soon started demanding better wages. “I tried to reason with the workers, but in vain. However, our factory will be open on Tuesday,” he added.
Similar protests had also forced the shutdown of more than 100 factories on Sunday. RMG units of Envoy Group, Ha-Meem Group, The Star Link Style, Meddler Apparel and Ananta Group were among the affected.
In another incident, some workers at Sobahanbagh also staged a demonstration to demand clearance of dues. Their factory building was closed down on April 25 after cracks were spotted.
Savar Model police station sub-inspector Abdul Jalil said the dues of just 10 to 12 workers were pending. “These workers staged the demonstration. They left after assurances from management,” he said.
In Mirpur, hundreds of workers from MBM Garments Ltd staged a road blockade around 7.30 am in protest against the dismissal of 13 colleagues “without any cause”. The agitators also vandalized at least
five vehicles. They also ransacked the factory premises.
Police brought the situation under control around 10 am and traffic movement was restored. Five agitators were detained, Kafrul police station OC Kazi Wazed Ali said.
-With The Independent input
