Workers of a garment factory staged demonstrations in Dhamrai on Sunday, demanding payment of half of March’s wage and Eid bonus ahead of the upcoming Eid festival.
The protests began around 2:00 pm in front of MU EN Textile, a garment factory located in the Belishwar area of Sutipara union under Dhamrai upazila. Nearly a hundred workers gathered outside the factory and later took position on a nearby regional road, chanting slogans and demonstrating to press home their demands.
According to the workers, they joined work in the morning but later approached the factory authorities with a demand for payment of wages for the first 15 days of March, along with Eid bonus. When the authorities did not respond positively, the workers halted production and started protesting outside the factory.
One female worker said they had requested half of March’s wage and the festival bonus before Eid, but the management did not provide any payment. “We were forced to stop work because our demands were ignored. We want our dues to be paid quickly,” she said.
Factory authorities, however, said that wages are usually paid at the end of each month and that workers had already received their February wages on March 13. They added that payments would be made to some workers according to the duration of their work.
Factory director Imam Hossain said, “We paid the February wage of the workers two days ago. Now they are demanding half of March’s wage along with a bonus. We are trying to resolve the matter through discussions with them.”
Police from Dhamrai Police Station rushed to the scene after receiving information about the protest. However, as of 4:30 pm, the situation had not yet been resolved.