Workers of 4 Gazipur factories protest over due wages, reinstatement of sacked employees

Workers of four factories in Gazipur's Konabari area, including three apparel factories, staged demonstrations on Tuesday (12 November) over various demands, including payment of overdue wages and reinstatement of terminated employees.

The affected factories are – MM Knitwear Ltd, Mamun Knitwear Ltd, Swadhin Garments and Quasem Lamps Ltd.

Gazipur Industrial Police 2 Superintendent Md Sarwar Alam told TBS that a total of 14 RMG and non-RMG factories, including the four mentioned above, in Gazipur remained closed as of Tuesday.

According to industrial police and factory sources, thousands of workers of MM Knitwear Ltd and Mamun Knitwear Ltd halted work around 9am Tuesday, demanding the rehiring of recently terminated workers.

The latest protests in these two factories follow a 3 November demonstration where workers demanded better working conditions. While some demands were met, others were not accepted, leading to an indefinite shutdown of the factories on 4 November for safety reasons, as per the Labor Act 2006.

Once the situation stabilised, both factories reopened on 9 November. However, MM Knitwear Ltd terminated 68 workers while Mamun Knitwear Ltd dismissed 45, citing disciplinary issues. This led to further unrest, with workers refusing to resume normal operations.

MM Knitwear Ltd's administrative officer Md Monowar Hossain said that terminated workers had been paid their dues in line with the labour law.

Gazipur Industrial Police-2 Superintendent Md Sarwar Alam told TBS the authorities are engaged in discussions with the workers, attempting to resolve the issue and encourage them to return to work.

Meanwhile, in Gazipur's Jarun area, employees at Swadhin Garments have been protesting for three consecutive days over one month's unpaid wages, gathering outside the factory's main entrance. 

In Konabari's Baimail area, Quasem Lamps Ltd workers abstained from work and staged protests pushing a 10-point charter of demands, including attendance bonuses, tiffin allowances, and night shift pay.

According to BGMEA data, a total of eight RMG factories in Gazipur, Savar and Mirpur's Dhaka remained closed as of yesterday due to labour protests over various demands including arrears.