Ashulia sweater factory announces closure

City Desk :

A sweater manufacturing factory in Dhaka’s Savar has announced it is closing indefinitely amid ongoing labour unrest, sparking concern among its nearly 900 workers.

The announcement came on Saturday morning at the Gauripur-based Natural Wool Wears Limited, a concern of the Natural Group.

Workers arriving for work were shocked to see a closure notice pinned to the main gate.
The notice, issued by the factory authorities, cited continued unrest, illegal strikes, and forced work stoppages despite payment of wages and overtime, reports bdnews24.com
It claimed that, for the safety of all staff and the facility itself, operations were being suspended under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, effective from Saturday.

Hasan Ali, a jacket operator at the factory, said: “Although wages aren’t pending, the management often delays payments. The salary for the 7th was only paid on the 25th. Overtime is supposed to be paid weekly, but we often get it after one to one and a half months. Annual leave allowances are sometimes delayed for two years.”

He said the workers had been staging demonstrations and work stoppages over these issues.
“On Thursday, when some workers left the premises, goons allegedly hired by the factory authorities assaulted several of them,” he added.

“Friday was our weekly day off. When we came to work today, we found a notice declaring the factory closed. The workers are furious,” he said.