Situation in Ashulia industrial area normal, but 16 factories remain closed
According to police and industry sources, there are still some problems in a handful of factories, of which at least 16 are still closed
After two consecutive weeks of labour unrest, the situation in Dhaka's industrial area Ashulia has returned to some normalcy before the start of the new week.
This (21 September) morning, most of the garment factories in the area remained open, with workers joining.
According to police and industry sources, there are still some problems in a handful of factories, of which at least 16 are still closed.
Among those 16 factories there are general holidays in 13 while three others have instituted a "no work, no pay" scheme, under Section 13(1) of Bangladesh Labor Act 2006, said Superintendent of Police of Industrial Police-1 Md Sarwar Alam.
Alam said the industrial police were deployed wherever complaints arose in order to resolve those by discussing with all parties.
"We have requested the factory owners and BGMEA to open the factories which are closed as the workers are eager to join," he said.
According to BGMEA sources, Radiance Fashion, Radiance Jeans, Comfort Composite Limited, Generation Next, Anjuman Design Limited are among the factories closed today under Section 13(1) of the Labor Act in Ashulia.
Five factories where workers haven't joined are Medlar Apparels, Setara Group, Bando Design, The Rose Dresses Limited and Susuka Knit Limited.
Bangladesh Garments and Sweater Workers Trade Union Center Legal Affairs Secretary Khairul Mamun Mintu told The Business Standard that although the overall situation of the industrial sector has gradually improved, there are still some problems in some places.
"Among these, we are getting news of layoffs and incidents of filing cases, which are really worrying. We will request the owners not to lay off the workers unfairly in any factory and also request the law enforcement agencies not to harass any innocent workers in cases filed due to labour grievances.
"Besides, we will call upon owners to implement the assurance given to the workers by accepting their demands," he said.
Meanwhile, no related incidents were reported anywhere in the industrial area till 1 pm.