The workers of apparel manufacturer Konabari Kader Synthetic Limited in Gazipur went on an indefinite work abstention yesterday demanding a salary increase.
They took the decision after coming to their workplace in the morning to find a notice saying their salaries were increased. But the increase was not consistent with an agreement they reportedly had with the factory’s authorities.
The protesters said their employers had earlier promised them to raise their salaries by at least Tk1,000, starting from December, but the renewed pay structure was not what they had been expecting.
However, a spokesman of the factory defended the increase. Zakir Hossain, civil engineer of the factory, said: “The factory is run according to the existing rules of the industry.”
“There are a total of 2,000 workers in the factory, 900 of them in the polyester department. The management has duly increased their attendance bonuses and gratuities and then issued the notice.”
The workers have been demonstrating inside the factory in a “peaceful manner,” said Inspector of Gazipur Industrial Police Nazrul Islam.
