Gazipur garment workers block highway for 2hrs for dues, Eid bonus

Thousands of workers of a garment factory blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Chowrasta intersection for two hours this morning, demanding their due "holiday payment" and Eid bonus.

Around 2,000 workers of Giant Knit Garment Factory took to the streets at 7:00am, halting vehicular movement, police said.

Traffic resumed around 9:00am after law enforcers managed to convince the protesters to clear the road.

Sub-Inspector Abdullah Al Mamun of Gazipur Traffic Police said police intervened and urged the workers to leave the highway, which they eventually did after being assured of talks with factory authorities.

Gazipur Industrial Police Sub-Inspector Faruk Hossain told The Daily Star that workers staged a demonstration last Thursday with similar demands. Following that protest, the authorities today issued a notice declaring the factory closed indefinitely under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, which enforces a "no work, no pay" policy.

Upon arriving at the factory in the morning and finding the closure notice, the workers took position on the highway and blocked traffic. Police arrived at the scene and held discussions with the workers.

"We are struggling to survive with our families. Eid is approaching, yet we have no guarantee of our holiday payments and bonuses. The factory must reopen, and our dues must be paid immediately," a protesting worker said.

Workers claimed despite repeated negotiations, they had yet to receive any concrete solution from the authorities.

Denying the allegations, Ashaab Hassan, project coordinator of Giant Group said over phone that the factory has already paid full bonus to the workers per labour law on March 19 where the government had instructed to clear the payment within March 22.

As per the government instruction, the group will pay 50 percent salary of March on the last working day before the Eid holiday, he said.

"We are yet to declared the Eid holiday as we were in conversation with the participation committee," he said.