Regent Textile workers on fast-unto-death demanding arrears

Around 30 former employees of Regent Textile Mills staged a fast-unto-death protest outside the company's corporate office in Chattogram's Jubilee Road area demanding arrears.

A total of 140 officials were left jobless by a sudden layoff with 8 months of salaries due, the workers claimed.

Farhad Hosen, a lab assistant at Regent Textile Mills Ltd, a concern of Habib Group, said he has been struggling to provide for four members of his family as the company declared layoffs in April 2022 without paying 8 months' salary since September 2021.

Former production manager of the factory Akter Hosen said he has been living a doleful life as he could not manage a job since the company was closed.

"The company paid the due salaries during layoff. The authorities, however, did not disburse the salaries promising them the company would reopen soon," claimed the agitated workers.

"They did not release us from the job which is causing difficulty for us to get new jobs," said Farhad.

"We have been staging a hunger strike until death since morning but no one from the company came to seen us," said Akter.

"We will not return home until the company pays our due salaries even if we have to sacrifice our lives by starving," he said.

Ahmed Rafiq Imtiaz, DGM admin of Habib Group, did not comment on the issue.

Earlier in August last year, A Chattogram court issued an arrest warrant against five people including the chairman of Regent Textile Mills Limited, a sister concern of Habib Group, in cheque fraud cases.

Regent Textile Mills Chairman Yakub Ali, Managing Director Salman Habib and three Directors Yasin Ali, Mashrup Habib, Tanveer Habib were summoned by the court. Since then, the company directors are reportedly in hiding.