Workers’ Agitation: Savar RMG Factory Closed

Authorities of a ready-made garment factory in Savar declared it indefinitely closed on Wednesday (January 17) morning following workers' agitation over alleged dismissal of their fellows.

More than 500 workers of Anlima Textile Limited located in Ulail area next to the Dhaka-Aricha highway staged a protest inside the factory on Tuesday (January 16), alleging that the authorities have been dismissing workers unjustly for the last few months.

But the protesters could not give the exact number of workers dismissed by the authorities so far, reports our Savar correspondent.

Today, the authorities shut the factory and hung the closure notice on the main gate.

The notice, issued yesterday, stated that for the information of all the workers/employees working in the RMG section of Anlima Textile Limited, the working environment of the factory was disrupted due to an attack on its official and vandalism inside the factory.

The factory was shut as per Section 13(1) of Bangladesh Labor Act 2006, the notice said.

Factory Assistant Vice President (HR Admin) Razaul Kaiuom told Press that it would not be possible to run the factory if the working environment did not return to normal.

He said workers beat up the factory's General Manager Golam Kibria badly and he was first admitted to Enam Medical and then referred to a hospital in the capital as his condition is critical, said the official.

He also said the workers have been resigning voluntarily as there were not enough work orders right now. But the authorities are accepting their resignation with payment of all dues, he said.

However, some of the workers, on condition of anonymity, told that the authorities were dismissing the workers and not paying dues.

They said they did not carry out any vandalism of the factory or beat up any official. The workers just went on strike yesterday to protest the dismissal of their co-workers, they said.

ABM Rashidul Bari, ASP of Ashulia Industrial Police -1, told yesterday that the factory authorities claimed that GM was beaten by the workers, while on the other hand, the workers claimed that GM assaulted the workers. He later fell ill, but GM had no external injury marks on his body, he added.