Mirpur garment factory shuts after worker protests

Workers have forced the authority of Siraj Garments to shutter its factory after it continued operating amid mounting fears of the coronavirus.

It came after agitated workers launched a protest demanding the closure of the factory on Saturday. Police later arrived on the spot and ordered the authorities to shut down the factory.

The protests began after the authorities wanted to continue its operations because of some foreign purchase orders, OC Mostafizur Rahman of Mirpur Model Police Station told bdnews24.com.

Monsur Ahmed, crisis management officer of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA, said he was unaware of any protests over the holidays in BGMEA-listed factories in Mirpur. Siraj Garments may have been a former member of BGMEA, but its membership has been revoked, he said.

Several BGMEA-listed factories across Bangladesh, including ones in Savar, Gazipur, and Dhaka, have been shut down, Monsur said. 

“Some factories are still operating to create Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, for the doctors. Apart from that, about 90 percent of the factories have announced closure.”