Workers from Magpie Knitwear, a sweater factory, staged a protest at the residence of the company’s Managing Director Majumder Arifur Rahman, demanding unpaid wages and factory reopening.
The protest, which reportedly began on Friday evening in Dhaka’s Uttara and continued through Saturday, comes amidst the owner’s active campaigning for a leadership position within the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Workers claimed that the factory announced the closure on 4 January without paying four months due.
BGMEA officials on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the workers received a single month’s payment on Thursday from the Magpie Group despite being owed four months’ wages.
Attempts to reach Arifur Rahman and his father, Habibur Rahman, the company founder, for comment were unsuccessful.
The presence of a large number of workers at the protest site was confirmed by Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abul Hasan at 8pm today.
The officer added that similar protests have occurred previously and said BGMEA is trying to intervene and resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan acknowledged the company’s past issues with worker protests and expressed limited knowledge about the current situation.
He assured that BGMEA would attempt to find a solution once details are clarified.
