Workers Of RMG Factory In Gazipur Protesting ‘Assault’

Thousands of workers of a garment factory gathered in front of the Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments in Gazipur since the morning demanding reopening of the factory and protesting what they said was an attack on them by factory management and police last night. The workers of Seasons Dress Limited gathered in front of the DIFE around 10:00am. Later they were still there around 12:20pm, it’s reported on media.  

Additional Assistant Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Industrial Police Mosharf Hossain told The Daily Star that factory authorities paid a portion of the arrears yesterday but could not pay in full. During the negotiations, there was a small scuffle between the workers and the management and police, but there were no incidents of police fighting with workers, he said.

The workers did not attack or beat the police, he added.

The protesting factory workers said today that there was an argument with the factory authorities around 7:00pm yesterday when the workers were demanding arrears before the holidays. At one stage the owners and police assaulted them and drove them out of the factory, they said.

When they returned to the factory this morning, they found a closure notice on the gate, and so they came to the DIFE. They said no one has spoken to them yet.

Several workers said some were owed a month's arrears, while others were owed two months' and even three months' arrears. They said with Eid coming up and landlords asking for rent, it was getting difficult to pay for household expenses.

No one at Seasons Dress Limited answered the phone when called for comment. The closure notice hung in front of the factory said that a group of workers created chaos inside the factory, vandalised and raised hands on the police yesterday. As it was not possible to keep the establishment open in such unfavourable conditions, the factory has been closed for an indefinite period.