Staff Reporter :
The trouble-hit factories in Ashulia garment industrial belt will resume operation today (Monday), six days after closures by the owners amid labour unrest over demand for wage hike.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Sunday made the announcement from an emergency press briefing held in its headquarters in the capital in the evening.
Earlier, BGMEA decided to shut 55 trouble-hit factories in the area for an indefinite period following the workers’ walkout demanding pay hike.
Announcing the closure, BGMEA President M Siddiqur Rahman told reporters at a press conference that “the factory owners have been forced to take the measure under Section-13 (1) of the Labour Act”.
But the BGMEA President reversed their stance and announced reopening of the factories from Sunday’s press conference saying that the government had asked them to resume operation of the closed factories for the sake of the workers’ welfare and national economy.
“We have decided to open all the factories after getting instruction from the government,” said Siddiqur Rahman. He said, labour leaders also requested them to reopen the factories. The closed factories will go back into production from Monday.
“We urge the workers to turn up in the morning and join their work,” he said.
The BGMEA President said, the situation at Ashulia is better now as the government has extended all-out cooperation to maintain peace and stability in the Ashulia industrial belt.
He also accused a vested quarter of conspiring to make the RMG sector unstable by instigating the workers and urged them to foil the plots being hatched to destroy the sector.
Apparel workers in Ashulia started work abstention from December 12 to press home their 12-point demands, including an increase of their minimum wage to Tk 16,000
Their several days of work stoppage forced closure to at least 80 garment factories in the industrial zone.
“We are sympathetical to their demands. But that should be logical,” said the BGMEA President, adding,” They should raise their demands through proper way. Observing work abstention is not the right way to wage hike.”
He also asked the workers to submit their demands to the ministry concerned as per rules and procedures.
