Six garments factories in two EPZs closed
Staff Reporter :
After the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ), the demonstration of the garment workers over the wage dissatisfaction has now spread to the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).
Authorities of five factories of DEPZ have closed their factories on Sunday due to the ongoing workers unrest. Likewise, a factory in CEPZ has been closed since last Saturday.
Earlier, on Thursday garment workers staged demonstrations in front of their factories and the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) office gate expressing their dissatisfaction with the new wage board implemented by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA).
Likewise, workers of nine readymade garment factories in Savar and Gazipur also staged protests blocking roads over wage issues.
At least six factories within the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) staged unrest on Sunday. These are Gunze United Limited, Bengal Windsor Thermoplastic Limited, Tigerco Limited, Croydon Kowloon Designs Ltd (CKDL), Shanta Denims Limited, and YKK Bangladesh Pvt. Limited.
Factory owners alleged property damage, including vandalism of vehicles, in at least three of these incidents.
The agitating workers of CEPZ claimed that their salary not adjusted as expected. After working in the same grade for a few years, salaries of junior and senior salaries remain almost same.
After Chittagong, the protest speared among the workers of various factories of DEPZ. Due to the current protest, the authorities have announced the closure of five factories named Styrex Fashions, LZ Wear Fashions, Paddocks Jeans, CKDL and Sunar Manufacturing for an indefinite period.
Regarding the current workers’ protest, Executive Director of Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), Ahsan Kabir said that if there were problems relating to workers’ salaries in some factories, the owners will have to discuss with workers to resolve the issue.
Factories that have been declared closed indefinitely will reopen in short time, he expected
Meanwhile, the government has finalized Tk 12,500 as the minimum wage for garment workers in November last year, rejecting the demand for salary enhancement from various labour organizations.
The government also declared new minimum wage for over 4.8 lakh workers in Export Processing Zones (EPZs), nearly two weeks after it finalized a new pay structure for workers in the garments sector.
The new minimum wage was activated from December 1, last year and workers in EPZs received their salary as per the revised structure in January.
Aklima Khatun, a garment worker from Jay Jay Mills (Bangladesh) Private Limited, said that their salaries only increased by Taka 400 under the new salary structure, which she find inadequate.
Anwara Begum, a Junior Operator at CHIC Wings BD Intimates co. Ltd., mentioned that around 95 per cent of the workers in her factory are junior operators, and their salaries did not increase.
