Dird Washing Limited has laid off around 300 workers owing to a lack of work orders, becoming the fourth unit of its parent Dird Group to have closed operations this year.

The authorities of the factory located in Savar's Rajfulbaria hung up the layoff notice, signed October 19, on the factory gate yesterday.

Due to a lack of orders, the layoff has been announced in line with the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, it said. "The issue of lay-off will be resolved later after talks with workers."

"Due to zero order, we have declared the lay-off," Uzzwal Hayder, head of human resources at Dird Group, told The Daily Star in a WhatsApp message.

"Management are very positive about ensuring payments for the workers."

The washing unit employed about 300 workers and they also worked on Thursday. When they returned yesterday morning, they found out the lay-off notice, said a number of workers.

A mid-level worker says mid-level workers have salary arrears ranging from five to 11 months whereas it is one month for many other workers.

"Under such circumstances, the authorities have announced the lay-off without any prior announcement or clearing dues. What will we do now?"

Rafiqul Islam Sujan, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Shilpa Shromik Federation, said the workers have become unemployed due to the lay-off.

He called for the reopening of the factory as soon as possible.

Earlier this year, Dird Garments Ltd and Dipta Garments Ltd, two factories of Dird Group, were shut. On September 20, Dipta Apparels Ltd, another unit of the group, were closed.

Speaking about the lay-off, Md Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the factory had been struggling because of a lack of inflows of orders over the last many months and finally, management declared the lay-off.