The workers of TNZ Apparels Ltd Group once again blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur just two hours after ending their protest, which started 55 hours ago on Monday. They were demanding unpaid wages for two months.
This has again created traffic congestion on both sides of the highway.
They have vowed to maintain the blockade until the 32-member delegation returns from Dhaka.
Despite efforts by the Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) and the industrial police to clear the road, the workers have refused to move.
Around 2:30pm on Monday, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ershad Mia, along with senior officials from the army, industrial police, and GMP, arrived at the scene to negotiate with the protesting workers.
After the administration officially promised to resolve their outstanding wage issues, the workers lifted the blockade.
During discussions, a workers’ delegation was sent to Dhaka to negotiate wage-related matters.
Following this, the army and police urged the workers to leave the highway, and most complied, though some initially refused.
With the intervention of the police and army, those workers eventually left, and traffic resumed on the highway. However, two hours later, around 4:30pm, the workers again resumed their blockade.
Sarwar Alam, superintendent of police (SP) of Gazipur Industrial Police-2, said that the workers initially lifted the blockade after assurances of wage payments but resumed it two hours later. Efforts are ongoing to convince them to clear the road.
The protest is still going on at the time of filing this report.
How unrest at TNZ impacts nearby factories
On Sunday, Md Jalal Khan, a labour inspector for the Gazipur area in the Department of Inspection of Factory and Establishment (DIFE), sent a report to his department. The report, obtained by Dhaka Tribune, says that workers in eight TNZ Group factories have not yet received their wages for September and October.
For this, around 500-600 workers from TNZ factories have been protesting by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway for at least 55 hours until Monday.
Moreover, almost 30 factories under the jurisdiction of Basan police station in Gazipur were declared closed to avoid any adverse situation due to the protests of TNZ factories.
According to the DIFE report, Md Shahadat Hossain Shamim, the owner of TNZ factories, is currently in Saudi Arabia and reportedly has no plans to return.
About a month ago, he allegedly appointed a “fake” chairman ( workers alleged) who lacked knowledge about company affairs.
Workers fear that this individual intends to take loans from the government and flee, leaving them unpaid.
The DIFE report said the workers are calling on the government to bring their employer back from abroad, liquidate company assets if necessary, and pay their overdue wages.
The situation at TNZ Factories
Gazipur-based TNZ group has eight factories with 6,549 workers. Workers are experiencing unrest due to overdue wages and allowances.
According to the DIFE report, five operational factories of TNZ Group (TNZ Apparel Ltd, Basic Clothing Ltd, Basic Knitwear Ltd, Apparel Art Ltd, and Apparel Plus Eco Ltd) have arrears of nearly Tk15 crore for September and October wages.
Moreover, another closed factory, Apparel Plus Ltd, has an arrear of Tk5.83 crore for service benefits. Two other small factories—Expo Cartoon and MNS Yarn Dying—have arrears of Tk22 lakh and Tk10 lakh for wages, respectively.
The DIFE report also said that the workers have yet to receive assurances of their wages and allowances despite repeatedly blocking Dhaka-Mymensingh Road.
The unrest at a single factory is not industry-wide unrest
On Monday, there were no reports of factory closures at Savar, Ashulia, or other major industrial hubs.
Industry insiders said that 32 factories were declared closed in the Gazipur area as the workers of TNZ Group factories blocked the road in the Bhogra-Bypass Gazipur area, and the nearby factories declared a general holiday to prevent any spillover effect.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Mohiuddin Rubel, former director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and AMD of Denim Expert Ltd, said that for the past three to four months, they have been working at the field level on behalf of the organization to resolve the unrest.
“The problem related to wages and allowances was basically in a group of factories and the workers of that factory also tried to create unrest in other nearby factories where there was no issue,” he added.
He also said that in such a large industrial sector, one or two factories can face difficulties as everyone does not have the same capacity. This can not be called “unrest in the sector”.
There may be one or two isolated incidents, but it is not desirable to bring workers from 40-50 factories out on the streets or create chaos.
“If any such evidence is found, the government should take strict measures against them. Neither the government, the manufacturers, nor the workers want the factories to remain closed,” he added.
Mohiuddin Rubel said if factories can operate uninterrupted, the growth is assured. “Our export growth was low in the past few months, but we are slowly returning to a positive trend. Along with bringing discipline to some particular factories, if we can solve the energy problem and the financial crises, then the RMG sector will move forward addressing the challenges,” he added.
Regarding the overall situation, the Dhaka Tribune tried to contact TNZ Chairman Hedayetul Haque and Group GM Kabir Ahmed, but they did not answer the phone.
However, Kabir Ahmed told Dhaka Tribune that they are trying to arrange the required finance, and once they have done so, the factory will resume operation soon.
Gazipur RMG situation
The readymade garment (RMG) sector, Bangladesh’s highest export earnings earner, has witnessed unrest since the last week of August after a mass uprising ousted Sheikh Hasina's regime.
Since then, the workers of various RMG manufacturing units of Ashulia have demonstrated making demands, including a hike in attendance bonuses, equal recruitment, tiffin allowances, and others.
On September 24, the representatives of readymade garment manufacturers and workers agreed on 18 key demands to address labour concerns.
Then, manufacturing activities at the readymade garments (RMG) factory units at major industrial hubs like Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, and Dhaka started returning to normal and remained normal despite some sporadic incidents.
Moreover, with the permanent closure of Generation Next Fashion of Ashulia last week, the hub is now somewhat free from labour unrest.
However, the Mouchak, Konanari, Shafipur, and Chandra areas of the Gazipur industrial hub emerged as the new epicenter of labor unrest, as 32 RMG factory units were declared closed on Monday.
According to industry insiders, the labour unrest at TNZ Group's factory units is closely connected with the closure of these factories.
Moreover, the unrest in some factories due to the arrears of wages and allowances cannot be called an industry-wide unrest as most of the factories have returned to normal.
