Envoy Group factories reopen after 3-day closure, 203 workers terminated
Labour leaders have expressed concern that the workers will face extreme hardship due to the layoffs before Eid.
Three garment factories owned by the Envoy Group in Dhaka's Ashulia resumed operations today (29 May) after a three-day closure due to worker unrest centred around general duty before the Eid-ul-Adha holiday.
However, the incident has resulted in the termination of 203 workers.
Labour leaders have expressed concern that the workers will face extreme hardship due to the layoffs before Eid.
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A laid-off worker told The Business Standard that they were frustrated because working Fridays without overtime pay nullified the benefit of additional Eid holidays. This frustration reportedly led to worker unrest, resulting in the closure of three Envoy Group factories.
An Envoy Group official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the factories were closed under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act 2006, citing an illegal strike.
The official said that on 25 May morning workers started agitating for several demands, including a protest against general duty, payment of attendance bonus, and the removal of several officials from the establishment.
As a result, the authorities, in a notice dated 26 May, closed the three factories - Envoy Fashions Ltd, Envoy Design Ltd, and Manata Apparels Ltd - indefinitely.
Following a meeting at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) office on Tuesday, the factories reopened on Wednesday.
The official also said a total of 203 workers have been laid off under Section 20 of the Labour Act, and the laid-off workers will receive an Eid bonus along with all their benefits as per law.
Sarwar Hossain, general secretary of the Garment Workers' Unity League, told The Business Standard that the main reason for the strike was that the management had proposed that the workers perform general duty to compensate for any additional holidays they would take beyond the prescribed Eid holidays. However, the workers did not accept this.
An Industrial Police official confirmed that all three factories resumed production and workers returned peacefully.
Efforts to reach Envoy Group Managing Director Abdus Salam Murshedy for comment were unsuccessful, as he redirected to BGMEA official Munsur Khaled who declined to comment.
