Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Tuesday closed down 55 garment factories in Ashulia of Savar for indefinite period amid demonstration of workers.
In an emergency press conference at the BGMEA Bhaban president of the association Siddiqur Rahman said that they had no other option but to close down the factories as per section 13/1 of the labour law.
The section empowers the owners to close down factory amid workers’ unrest without providing them any benefit.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque hits it as a conspiracy against the growing apparel industries in Bangladesh.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mujibul Haque warned of strict action against the protesting workers of Ashulia industrial belt if they do not join their works immediately.
“The demands of the workers are totally illegal and legal steps will be taken against them if they do not return to their works
immediately,” he said.
The BGMEA leaders claimed that the workers leaders in a meeting with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and officials of law enforcing agencies on Monday, gave commitment to join their works from Tuesday.
But the workers ignored their commitment and continued the on going strike in many factories on Tuesday. As a result, the owners decided to close down 55 factories for indefinite period.
The garment workers in Ashulia, on the outskirts of capital Dhaka, had been demonstrating since December 11 demanding for minimum wage of Tk 16,000, ignoring the repeated call of the government to join work.
Mujibul said three years earlier the government had formed a new pay scale for garment workers so there is no chance of changing it within next two years. He alleged that some vested groups are conspiring to unstable the apparel industries by using the workers.
Witnesses said, at least 10 workers were injured as police charged baton and fired tear-shells on the protesting workers in Jamgora area of Ashulia at 9:30am yesterday. The workers tried to block the highway.
Director of Dhaka Industrial Police Mostafizur Rahman said they dispersed the workers as they tried to block the Dhaka-Tangail highway to normalise vehicular movement in the area.
Additional police were deployed in the industrial belt to avoid any untoward incident, he said. The government in 2013 set the minimum wage for an apparel worker at Tk 5,300 after violent protests had erupted. However, labour leaders alleged that many factories of the area are yet to implement the minimum wage. But the government and the BGMEA leaders termed the movement illegal, illogical and a conspiracy against the expanding garment sector.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Tuesday closed down 55 garment factories in Ashulia of Savar for indefinite period amid demonstration of workers.
In an emergency press conference at the BGMEA Bhaban president of the association Siddiqur Rahman said that they had no other option but to close down the factories as per section 13/1 of the labour law.
The section empowers the owners to close down factory amid workers’ unrest without providing them any benefit.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque hits it as a conspiracy against the growing apparel industries in Bangladesh.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mujibul Haque warned of strict action against the protesting workers of Ashulia industrial belt if they do not join their works immediately.
“The demands of the workers are totally illegal and legal steps will be taken against them if they do not return to their works
immediately,” he said.
The BGMEA leaders claimed that the workers leaders in a meeting with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and officials of law enforcing agencies on Monday, gave commitment to join their works from Tuesday.
But the workers ignored their commitment and continued the on going strike in many factories on Tuesday. As a result, the owners decided to close down 55 factories for indefinite period.
The garment workers in Ashulia, on the outskirts of capital Dhaka, had been demonstrating since December 11 demanding for minimum wage of Tk 16,000, ignoring the repeated call of the government to join work.
Mujibul said three years earlier the government had formed a new pay scale for garment workers so there is no chance of changing it within next two years. He alleged that some vested groups are conspiring to unstable the apparel industries by using the workers.
Witnesses said, at least 10 workers were injured as police charged baton and fired tear-shells on the protesting workers in Jamgora area of Ashulia at 9:30am yesterday. The workers tried to block the highway.
Director of Dhaka Industrial Police Mostafizur Rahman said they dispersed the workers as they tried to block the Dhaka-Tangail highway to normalise vehicular movement in the area.
Additional police were deployed in the industrial belt to avoid any untoward incident, he said. The government in 2013 set the minimum wage for an apparel worker at Tk 5,300 after violent protests had erupted. However, labour leaders alleged that many factories of the area are yet to implement the minimum wage. But the government and the BGMEA leaders termed the movement illegal, illogical and a conspiracy against the expanding garment sector.
