Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Apparel manufacturers on Wednesday expressed concern over the current spell of labour unrest in Ashulia garments industrial belt saying that ‘undercover players’ are working behind the scene to fuel labour unrest afresh in the country’s largest export sector.
They said, a vested quarter is trying to create unrest in the sector at a time when apparel industries retuned to the growth tract after huge transformation towards workplace safety and building remediation in line with the demands of global buyers.
“There are conspiracies behind the labour unrest in Ashulia. The sector may face fresh challenges as a result of the labour unrest,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, Chief Coordinator of Ashulia Garment Industrial Zone, told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He fears another round of industrial disharmony in the industry already showed up in Ashulia. It could erode confidence of the global buyers and consequently, they may shift orders to alternative destinations.
“Labour unrest has erupted in factories which are full compliant and green,
and owners are paying their workers regularly in line with the Wage Board Award. All the factories are executing orders of leading apparel brands and retailers of Europe and America,” said Murshedy.
When asked, he said, “Demands of the workers are not legitimate. They are raising illogical demands adopting unfair means.”
“Even, they have not submitted any written memo to the factory management to justify their demands,” he claimed.
Mushedy, a former President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the workers, who have protested inside their factories for last few days for wage hike, just went on work stoppage after signing their attendance register.
“As they kept themselves off from production, the owners have been forced to shut their factories as per the labour law,” he added.
On Tuesday, BGMEA announced closure to 55 apparel factories in Ashulia area for an indefinite period in the wake of labour unrest.
It also said that apparel workers would not be entitled to get compensation for the period of factory closure.
About 1, 50,000 workers are working in these factories.
Meanwhile, authorities on Wednesday shut production of four more apparel factories in the wake of fresh labour unrest.
Besides, the management of Windy Apparels on the day axed 121 of their workers on charge of vandalism and fueling labour unrest.
The company in the morning hanged a notice at the factory gate putting a list of the terminated workers.
The terminated workers later tried to gather and block the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Nishchintapur area of Ashulia to protest their termination.
“Being informed, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control,” Director of industrial police (Ashulia zone) Mostafizur Rahman told The New Nation yesterday.
He said additional police forces were deployed in the area to maintain peace and stability in the industrial area.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Windy Apparels and Fountain Garments filed two separate a cases with Ashulia police against 250 workers for instigating unrest, indiscipline and vandalism.
The named 39 workers in the cases and rest of them are unnamed.
Meanwhile, 15 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh along with a large number of Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies were deployed around the area since morning.
The workers in Ashulia area began staging demonstration on December 11 demanding for minimum wage of Tk 16,000.
Apparel manufacturers on Wednesday expressed concern over the current spell of labour unrest in Ashulia garments industrial belt saying that ‘undercover players’ are working behind the scene to fuel labour unrest afresh in the country’s largest export sector.
They said, a vested quarter is trying to create unrest in the sector at a time when apparel industries retuned to the growth tract after huge transformation towards workplace safety and building remediation in line with the demands of global buyers.
“There are conspiracies behind the labour unrest in Ashulia. The sector may face fresh challenges as a result of the labour unrest,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, Chief Coordinator of Ashulia Garment Industrial Zone, told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He fears another round of industrial disharmony in the industry already showed up in Ashulia. It could erode confidence of the global buyers and consequently, they may shift orders to alternative destinations.
“Labour unrest has erupted in factories which are full compliant and green,
and owners are paying their workers regularly in line with the Wage Board Award. All the factories are executing orders of leading apparel brands and retailers of Europe and America,” said Murshedy.
When asked, he said, “Demands of the workers are not legitimate. They are raising illogical demands adopting unfair means.”
“Even, they have not submitted any written memo to the factory management to justify their demands,” he claimed.
Mushedy, a former President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the workers, who have protested inside their factories for last few days for wage hike, just went on work stoppage after signing their attendance register.
“As they kept themselves off from production, the owners have been forced to shut their factories as per the labour law,” he added.
On Tuesday, BGMEA announced closure to 55 apparel factories in Ashulia area for an indefinite period in the wake of labour unrest.
It also said that apparel workers would not be entitled to get compensation for the period of factory closure.
About 1, 50,000 workers are working in these factories.
Meanwhile, authorities on Wednesday shut production of four more apparel factories in the wake of fresh labour unrest.
Besides, the management of Windy Apparels on the day axed 121 of their workers on charge of vandalism and fueling labour unrest.
The company in the morning hanged a notice at the factory gate putting a list of the terminated workers.
The terminated workers later tried to gather and block the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Nishchintapur area of Ashulia to protest their termination.
“Being informed, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control,” Director of industrial police (Ashulia zone) Mostafizur Rahman told The New Nation yesterday.
He said additional police forces were deployed in the area to maintain peace and stability in the industrial area.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Windy Apparels and Fountain Garments filed two separate a cases with Ashulia police against 250 workers for instigating unrest, indiscipline and vandalism.
The named 39 workers in the cases and rest of them are unnamed.
Meanwhile, 15 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh along with a large number of Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies were deployed around the area since morning.
The workers in Ashulia area began staging demonstration on December 11 demanding for minimum wage of Tk 16,000.
