Two garment factories of Pride Group closed amid worker unrest

The authorities of Pride Group have announced the closure of two garment factories in Savar until August 31st in the face of workers' protest over outstanding arrears.

The factories – HR Textile Mills Limited and Fashion Knit Garments Limited – were declared closed starting from 12 August, according to a notice signed by Monirul Islam, Assistant General Manager (Administration) of HR Textile Mills Limited.

The closure of the two factories has been attributed to various ongoing issues and recent disruptions beyond the control of the factory owner, as explained in the notice.

The notice also mentioned that all outstanding wages for the workers for July will be paid before the factory reopens.

Workers of HR Textiles claimed that the mid-level staff's wages have been outstanding for several months, leading the mid-level employees to demand their arrears for quite some time.

Last Thursday, after the workers went on strike demanding unpaid wages, the company authorities paid them a month's arrears on Friday and announced the factory's closure starting next Saturday (August 12th).

BGMEA Vice President Md Nasir Uddin mentioned that every garment factory is facing financial challenges due to the global markets not being in good shape. The Pride Group is also encountering such challenges, which has led them to make such decisions, he added.

Regarding the factory closure, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation President Rafiqul Islam Sujan told The Business Standard that the notice given by the factory authorities today is completely illegal, as they cannot close the factory without paying dues to the workers.

"The workers of the factories have not yet received their dues for the month of July. We demand the immediate reopening of the factory and payment of dues to the workers," he added.