Reopening readymade garment factories at Ashulia remains stuck into four days of their closure as neither the government nor the owners could make any decision in this direction till Saturday. The owners at a meeting on the day suggested that if the government would provide necessary security measures and the workers assured them of rejoining works, they would reopen the closed factories.They put forward the suggestion in response to written and verbal requests from labour rights groups but they were yet to finalise any date for reopening the factories, said Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice-president Mahmud Hasan Khan. Meanwhile, most of the workers of the closed factories on Saturday were prepared to join work and some of them even went to the factory gates but found the units closed, sources in labour rights organisations said. According to a government body, at least four factories out of 85 closed factories resumed production on Saturday. The factories are Sams Attire Ltd, Prime Cap (BD) Ltd, Fun Factory and Donglian Fashion (BD) Ltd. Leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association on Saturday night also sat in a meeting over reopening the closed factories and decided to sit with the government. On Thursday, at least four workers’ federations in the readymade garment sector sent separate letters to the BGMEA president and requested the trade body for bilateral discussion to resolve the Ashulia crisis. The federations are Jatiya Garments Darji Sweater Sramik Federation, Garments Sramik Karmachari Federation, Jatiya Garment Sramik Karmachari Federation and Bangladesh Garments Sramik Karmachari Federation. Another labour rights group Garment Sramik Trade Union Kendra on December 19 had placed a three-point demand to the BGMEA and urged its president for bilateral discussion on the demands. ‘Several workers’ federations made written and verbal request to BGMEA for reopening factories. we will inform the government about the request and decision for reopening of factories will be taken subject to necessary security measures from the government and workers’ assurance for rejoining works,’ one of the BGMEA leaders said after the meeting. Setting gross minimum wages at Tk 16,000, ration and accommodation for the RMG workers were included in the three-point demand. Garment factory owners on December 20 announced closure of their units under Section 13(1) of the Labour Act for an indefinite period as workers had been demonstrating since December 11, demanding increase in minimum wage to Tk 16,000 from Tk 5,300. Following the closure, leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association repeatedly said that the factories would be reopened if the workers promised to join work. Terming the work abstention and demands of the workers illegal, the BGMEA had said that workers would have to place their demands in a formal way. BGMEA president Md Siddiqur Rahman said they received letters from the rights groups but were yet to decide about sitting with the labour leaders.He had once again said that the owners would open the units after the workers would give assurance of resuming work peacefully and government would provide necessary security. Replying to a question, the BGMEA president said that no one would reopen their factories bypassing the decision of the trade body. Labour secretary Mikail Shipar said told New Age that the reopening of the factories depended on the workers and the owners. Neither the workers nor the owners came to the labour ministry over the reopening of the factories or resolving the ongoing issue, he said. ‘If the owners reopen the factories, the government would provide necessary support so that the law and order situation do not deteriorate,’ Shipar said. Following the closure of the factory, at least 258 workers of Windy Apparels Ltd and Fountain Garment Manufacturing Ltd in the industrial belt were terminated. Three factory authorities filed cases against 1,500 named and unnamed workers for instigating the labour unrest while police filed another case under Special Power Act.
