RMG workers of 3 Savar factories hold protest by halting work

Workers from two garment factories in Savar's Hemayetput — Vertex Group and Standard Group — halted their work and went on strike today (2 November), demanding compensation for the injury of a woman worker.

As of this afternoon, the workers cleared the area. According to the workers of the Vertex Group, 18 out of 26 demands were accepted by the owners.

According to a senior staff of Standard Group, the employees held a discussion with the owners and resolved the issues. 

A holiday was declared today and regular work will resume from tomorrow (3 November).

Earlier today, workers at Neo Fashion Limited, part of the Vertex Group, claimed that a female worker was seriously injured in the leg by a container truck inside the factory around 7pm last Thursday (31 October).

Despite her injuries, the factory management did not take effective measures to rescue her and take her to the hospital. 

She was taken to Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital in a pickup van in a critical condition, where she is still receiving treatment.

This morning, the factory workers halted their work and began protesting inside the factory, demanding proper compensation for the injured female worker's care and maintenance.

Although the factory management declared today a holiday due to the protest, the workers stayed inside the factory premises and continued their demonstration.

Additionally, the workers said they have several demands other than compensation for injured workers, including ending mandatory overtime and not being forced to work on scheduled off days.

It is yet to know the other demands made by the workers. They were still occupying the factory premises as of filing this report at 11am.

Meanwhile, workers at Savar's Standard Group's factories — The Civil Engineers Oven Ltd and The Civil Engineers Wash Ltd — halted their work, demanding the dismissal of several staff members.

Seeking anonymity, an official from the factory said the management agreed to some of the workers' demands when they protested a few days ago.

During that time, the management also decided to dismiss several staff members, said the official.

However, the workers are now demanding that these dismissals be announced directly by the owners, not just the officers. This demand has led to the continuation of their strike, the official added.

Previously, when the workers at the factory initiated a protest with various demands, the management declared both factories indefinitely closed under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Law starting 30 October.

Following a reconciliation meeting between the workers and the owners on 31 October, it was decided to reopen the factories from 1 November.

Some of the demands made during the previous protest were increased night shift allowances, attendance bonuses, and cashing out accrued leave days.

Of these, the management had agreed to and issued notices for 22 demands, covering the majority of the workers' requests.