Authorities on Wednesday declared an indefinite shutdown of MM Knitwear and Mamun Knitwear Ltd in Gazipur in the face of worker protests.
The factories, located in the Konabari area of the city, were closed under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act.
According to workers, they found a closure notice posted on the factory gates in the morning.
The sudden decision to shut the factories triggered anger and frustration among employees.
The closure notice issued by the assistant manager (Administration and Human Resources) of Mamun Knitwear Ltd stated that on Tuesday, at 8am, workers from the garments division entered the factory and deliberately defied work orders, causing disruption and halting operations.
Despite requests from the authorities, the workers reportedly staged an illegal strike inside the factory, created chaos, and instilled fear, leading to a destabilised environment, it added.
The factory reportedly suffered financial losses as a result. Consequently, the authorities posted a notice declaring all sections of the garments division closed indefinitely under Section 13(1) of the labour law.
A reopening date will be announced through a notice once a favourable environment is restored, they said.
In a similar notice issued by MM Knitwear Ltd’s assistant manager (Administration and Human Resources), it was stated that on the same morning, workers from the garments, screen printing, and embroidery divisions entered the factory and wilfully disobeyed work orders, leading to operational disruptions.
Despite being urged to resume work, they reportedly staged an unlawful strike inside the facility, creating panic and unrest.
This too caused financial damages, prompting the authorities to shut down all sections of the garments, screen printing, and embroidery divisions from April 30 under the same legal provision, the notice said.
The reopening date will be announced when conditions improve, it added.
Police and local sources said MM Group operates three factories in the Konabari area.
Recently, the management terminated around 300 workers following allegations of inappropriate behaviour, clearing all outstanding dues.
Rumours soon spread that some dismissed workers had been assaulted.
Using this as a pretext, workers reportedly refrained from joining work on April 29 and staged a work stoppage.
The protest escalated into an "illegal strike" inside the factory, causing unrest and intimidation.
Around 10pm that night, factory authorities posted the shutdown notice.
Several workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed they stopped working in protest after hearing that some of their dismissed colleagues had been beaten by factory personnel.
They denied instigating any violence or unrest.
Monowar Hossain, an administrative officer of MM Knitwear Ltd, said the factory was closed in line with labour laws due to workers’ inappropriate behaviour. He dismissed the assault allegation as baseless.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent AKM Johirul Islam said factory owners generally resolve such issues themselves.
"The factory was closed by the authorities following unruly conduct by some workers. Police have been deployed in front of the factory to prevent any unrest."
