RMG workers block road in Savar for arrears, Eid bonus

Workers of a readymade garment factory in Savar have blocked a regional road to Manikganj, demanding arrears of one-and-a-half months and Eid-ul-Adha bonus, disrupting traffic on the road.

Around 4pm today, the workers of Bashundhara Garments Ltd blocked the Hemayetpur-Singair road, demanding overdue salaries for April and half of May and Eid bonus, which were scheduled to be cleared. At noon, the workers came to the factory and found none of the factory management. At one stage, they start agitating by blocking the nearby road.

Confirming the matter, Superintendent of Industrial Police-1 Mohammad Mominul Islam told TBS that police and the army arrived at the scene and removed the protesting workers from the road around 4:30pm.

He said the factory workers were supposed to be paid their outstanding salaries today.

"We are working to solve the matter," added Mominul.

Seeking anonymity, a swing operator of Bashundhara Garments told TBS that the payment of their overdue salaries and Eid bonus remains uncertain. "We demand that, in addition to our April salary, we must be paid half of our May salary and the Eid bonus before Eid-ul-Adha."

Another protesting worker said the owners had announced lay-offs a couple of times in the last two months, and have yet to clear their salaries for April.   

Commenting on the matter, Kabir Hossain, general secretary of Savar thana unit Jatiya Garment Sramik Federation, told TBS that they want the workers' dues to be paid immediately.

Managing Director of Bashundhara Garments, Mohammad Shahidullah, could not be reached immediately for comment as his phone was found switched off despite several attempts.

Currently, the factory has 850 workers.

Earlier, on 17 May, the factory declared a lay-off for 18-31 May in accordance with Section 12 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, citing lack of work orders and raw materials. At the time, it also stated that workers' April salaries will be paid on 25 May.