Shut after unrest for pay hike, Ashulia factories to reopen Monday

The readymade garment factories, shut down in Ashulia following a workers' unrest for a hike in minimum wage and other benefits, are reopening on Monday, BGMEA says.

Md Siddiqur Rahman, president of the owners’ lobby, made the announcement at an emergency press conference on Sunday evening.

He said the owners took the decision to reopen the factories on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's orders and request by 30 workers' organisations.

Over 1,000 workers have been accused of instigation, trespassing, vandalism and theft in seven cases started over the unrest so far. Police have arrested 19 workers' leaders and a journalist.

The factories are also firing workers. Ha-Meem Group dismissed 91 on Sunday.

Earlier, Windy Apparels Limited and Fountain Garments Manufacturing Limited fired 256 workers.

Asked what will happen about the fired and accused workers, BGMEA President Siddiqur said, "BGMEA has nothing to do with it because these are legal action."

"The country's economy has been hit by this (unrest). Every party has suffered damage," he said.  

He termed the workers' strike 'unreasonable' and rejected their demand.

"The owners are giving 5 percent increment every year under the current wage scale even though the RMG industry is not doing very good in the current domestic and international situation," he said.

Former BGMEA presidents Abdus Salam Murshedy and Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, and incumbent Vice-President Mohammad Nasir, among others, were present at the news call.

On Dec 12, the workers of two readymade garment factories in the industrial hub on the outskirts of Dhaka enforced a strike for a 16-point charter of demand, including a minimum Tk 16,000 in monthly wage. The minimum wage was hiked to Tk 5,300 for the last time in November 2013.

They clashed with police at one stage of the demonstration and allegedly went on the rampage inside the factories.

As the unrest spread, workers of 25 factories stopped working on Dec 19. Several ministers sat with the workers' organisations but failed to reach any settlement.

After the workers of a total of 55 factories stopped working on the following day, the owners declared their manufacturing plants shut.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said they decided to keep the factory doors closed until the workers resume work and cut their pay for absence.

BGMEA President Siddiqur argued that the minimum wage was hiked three years ago, and the law allows the entrepreneurs not to revise pay in five years from a revision.