Workers block road in Savar after factory closure announcement
As of 11am, the workers were still demonstrating near the factory premises
Workers of a garment factory in Hemayetpur Rishipara, Savar, blocked the Hemayetpur-Singair regional road this morning (25 March) protesting the indefinite closure of the factory.
The workers of Jeans Manufacturing Company Ltd began their demonstration around 7:30am following the factory announced closure under under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, which stipulates a 'no work, no pay' policy. Traffic remained obstructed for nearly two hours. Upon the intervention of army personnel, they withdrew from the road at around 9:30am and moved to the roadside in front of the factory.
As of 11am, the workers were still demonstrating near the factory premises.
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The protesting workers said that ahead of Eid, the factory management had granted an eight-day leave, which included public holidays, earned leave, and general duty adjustments. Additionally, the management provided an extra day off.
However, the workers demanded a 10-day holiday instead of eight. They also sought payment for 20 working days of March and their overtime wages before Eid.
Workers alleged that during a sit-in protest inside the factory yesterday (24 March), the management brought in several outsiders, which escalated tensions. The situation led to a scuffle inside the factory, following which the management reportedly filed a case against the workers.
A sewing operator of the factory, requesting anonymity, told The Business Standard, "The trouble started yesterday when we staged a sit-in. The management brought in five to six outsiders, which triggered unrest. Later, an official was also beaten up, and I heard he is now hospitalised. We were told that army officials would intervene today to resolve the issue, but when we arrived at the factory in the morning, we found it locked with an indefinite closure notice. We also heard that some workers were arrested last night."
However, Savar Model police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jewel Mia refuted the workers' claims of arrest and a case against them.
"Workers blocked the road to press for their demands. Later, we convinced them to leave. There has been no vandalism or violence in the factory, and no case has been filed. No worker has been arrested. However, we are questioning a few workers to verify if anyone is trying to take advantage of the situation," OC Jewel Miah told The Business Standard.
Attempts to contact the factory's HR Manager, Swapan, for comments were unsuccessful as he did not receive phone calls.
A notice issued by Jeans Manufacturing Company Ltd stated that the factory was being closed indefinitely due to disorderly behaviour, vandalism, violence, and unrest caused by some workers, citing security concerns.
"All workers, employees, and officials of Jeans Manufacturing Company Ltd are hereby informed that due to the disorderly conduct, vandalism, violence, and clashes caused by some unruly workers, an unstable situation has arisen in the factory. In the interest of overall security, the factory management has decided to shut down operations indefinitely from 25 March 2025, in accordance with Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006," the notice reads.
The notice further mentioned that the factory would reopen once a favourable environment was restored, with the reopening date to be announced later.
