Workers continued their protest for a second consecutive day in front of the Srom Bhaban in the capital’s Bijoynagar, confining the factory owner as they are yet to receive any assurance regarding the payment of their due wages and bonuses.
The protesters have been confining the owner and preventing him from leaving since Sunday morning, with several hundred remaining at the site throughout the night, reports Bangla Tribune.
The workers are employed by Seasons Dresses Limited in Gazipur.
Several workers were seen chanting slogans in front of the building gate and along nearby streets on Monday morning, declaring that they would not leave until their demands were met.
Kabir Hossain Hawlader, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Federation, said on Sunday that Seasons Dresses Limited owes more than Tk5 crore in two months of back pay to 1,200 workers, including two unpaid bonuses.
If the factory is shut down, the amount due will exceed Tk20 crore, he added.
According to a decision made on June 16, a tripartite meeting among factory owners, workers, and the administration was scheduled to be held at 10am on Sunday at the Srom Bhaban.
Although the worker representatives arrived on time, no senior government officials were present.
Representatives from the Industrial Police and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments attended the meeting, accompanied by only one of the four factory owners.
The bank holding the factory’s mortgage was also expected to send a representative, but none appeared.
During the meeting, one faction of the owners expressed their inability to pay the dues.
As a result, the workers left the meeting and resumed their protest.
Md Shafiul Alam, central assistant organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, told Bangla Tribune around 11:45am on Monday that the workers had been staging a sit-in protest since the previous day due to the lack of an effective decision in the meeting regarding payment.
He warned that if no assurance is given by the end of the day, they would announce stricter programs.
