Two Gazipur garment factories shut down following worker unrest

Two garment factories in Gazipur—MM Knitwear and Mamun Knitwear Limited—have been declared closed indefinitely by their authorities following worker protests.

MM Group, which owns three factories in the area, issued the closure notice citing unrest and work stoppages.

Workers found the notice announcing the closure posted on the gates of the factories this morning (30 April).

Md Monowar Hossain, administrative officer of MM Knitwear, confirmed the indefinite closure, adding that it was in line with the labour law. 

He also dismissed allegations of assault on a laid-off worker as baseless rumours.

Superintendent AKM Zahirul Islam of Gazipur Industrial Police said though MM Group always resolves issues peacefully, workers recently began behaving improperly, similar to unrest seen in other factories. As a result, the factories have been shut down under Section 13(1).

"Law enforcement personnel have been deployed in front of the factories to prevent further disorder," he added.

The notice, signed by the assistant manager (Administration and Human Resources Department), stated that on Tuesday (29 April), workers from the garments, screen printing, and embroidery divisions entered the factory but refused to work.

According to the notice, the workers "illegally stopped work, disobeyed instructions, and behaved in an unruly manner".

Despite repeated requests from the management, they reportedly remained at the factory without working and allegedly created an atmosphere of fear.

"At one point, they caused chaos and left the premises, resulting in significant damage," the notice said. The factory authorities termed the actions an "illegal strike".

Citing Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 (amended in 2013 and 2018), the factory authorities said they were compelled to close all sections of the Garments Division from today.

They added that the reopening date would be announced later once a favourable environment is restored.

Some workers from MM Knitwear, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that a number of workers had recently been laid off and paid their dues. However, tensions escalated after some laid-off workers were allegedly assaulted by people associated with the factory management.

In response, the remaining workers stopped work in protest. The closure notice was reportedly issued at 10pm yesterday, and workers discovered it the following morning.

According to local sources, over 300 workers of the factories were laid off with full payment of dues recently after some workers allegedly behaved disrespectfully towards the owners, causing distress.