One after another factories are closed, unemployment is increasing
Garment factories are closing one after another in the industrial area of Gazipur. Unemployment is increasing due to this. Many people are spending their days in hardship with their families, unable to make ends meet. Some are getting involved in crime. As a result, incidents of theft, robbery and robbery are increasing in Gazipur. Factory workers say that their factories are having to close due to various reasons including lack of work orders, lack of money, banking complications and worker dissatisfaction.
It is not just the workers who are facing problems due to the closure of factories. Due to their agitation, highways are often closed. This is causing suffering to commuters and residents in the vicinity.
Workers say that now they are not even getting their dues properly. Again, although female workers of the closed factories have found jobs in some places, men are in trouble. Most factories are not hiring male workers.
Police sources said that cases related to theft, robbery and snatching have increased in Gazipur. Information is being received that some unemployed people are involved in these crimes.
Meanwhile, 51 factories have closed in Gazipur in the last five months after the country's political situation changed in July-August. Of these, 41 were closed permanently and 10 were closed temporarily by the authorities. In addition, seven more factories will be closed in May.
Gazipur Industrial Police said that the total number of registered factories in the district, including large and small, is 2,176. Of these, 1,154 are ready-made garment factories. Since November last year, 35 ready-made garment factories have not been able to pay their employees, which is 2 percent of the total factories.
In addition, 45 percent of factories have not paid salaries since December. Currently, there is worker dissatisfaction in 5 percent of factories in Gazipur. There are complications over increments in 9 percent of factories. In such a reality, 41 out of 1,154 ready-made garment factories have been closed permanently, and 10 temporarily.
Among the closed factories are 16 in Beximco Industrial Park in the Sarabo area of the metropolis, TMS Apparels in the Satayish area of Tungi, Niagara Textile and Mahmud Jeans in the Chandra area.
More than half a million workers have been in trouble due to the closure of factories. They are living in inhuman conditions after losing their jobs. Workers often take to the streets to protest demanding the reopening of factories and arrears of wages.
Meanwhile, seven factories of the Keya Group are being closed since May. The owners informed about the matter through a notice on January 2. It was mentioned in it that workers and officials of Keya Cosmetics Limited (Knit Composite Garments Division, Knitting Division, Spinning Division, Cotton Division) and Keya Yarn Mills Limited (Zorun, Konabari, Gazipur) are being informed that all factory activities have been declared permanently closed on May 1 due to market instability, bank account discrepancies, insufficiency of raw materials and inadequacy of factory production activities. All dues of workers and officials and employees will be paid within 30 working days of the factory closure.
Following that announcement, two more companies of the same group - the Knit Composite Division, Dyeing and Utility Division - were announced to close. These divisions will be closed from May 20.
In this regard, Sabina Yasmin, manager of the human resources department of Keya Group, said that a total of seven factories have been announced to close, five from May 1 and two from May 20. All dues to the workers will be paid in several stages according to the labor law.
Not only Keya Group, but other factories like it have been closed. Among them, 16 factories in Beximco Industrial Park are one of them. This decision was made at the meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Reviewing the Labor and Business Situation of Beximco's Institutions at the Ministry of Labor and Employment on December 15 last year.
The owner of the institutions is Salman F. Rahman, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's private industry and investment advisor. The government said that the reason for the closure was that the factories were unable to operate due to lack of orders and defaults in loans with banks.
Visiting Beximco Industrial Park, one can see that the factories there now have a ghostly atmosphere. Machines worth crores of taka are lying around. About 42,000 workers are protesting on the streets demanding the reopening of the factories.
Beximco Industrial Park Senior General Manager (Administration) SM Abdul Latif said that 42,000 workers, officials and employees have become unemployed in their factories. The workers are living in inhuman conditions. We are seeking the government's cooperation in lifting the layoffs. We request everyone, including the Chief Advisor, to open back-to-back LCs and lift the layoffs with all banking facilities.
A garment worker named Suman said that he used to work in a factory in the Nawjor area of Gazipur. He lost his job due to trivial reasons. He went to different factories for a job but could not get a job. He has been unemployed for two months. In the meantime, he lives in a rented house with his wife and children.
Shahina Begum has been working at the Mim Design factory in the South Bhogra Bason Road area for about 15 years. She said, the factory has been closed for two months on the pretext of no work. The authorities are not saying anything about when the factory will reopen. The officials are owed two to three months' salary. The authorities are not paying the salaries.
Md. Ashrafuzzaman, Organizing Secretary of the Central Committee of the National Garments Workers' Alliance Bangladesh, said, "Factories are closing one after another. The number of unemployed is also increasing. However, the reason for the closure of factories cannot be blamed on the labor movement. Because in the past few days, workers have also been protesting to demand payment of their arrears of wages and allowances. But the factories have not been closed like this. Workers are being made unemployed due to the actions of the owners.
Gazipur Industrial Police-2 Superintendent of Police AKM Zahirul Islam said, 51 factories have been declared closed in the district. Out of these, 10 factories are temporarily closed. They may open at any time. It has been learned from talking to the authorities that the factories are closing for various reasons including bank problems. We are working to collect detailed information.
He also said that many unemployed workers are taking to the streets to protest demanding the reopening of factories and payment of outstanding salaries. The Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Chandra-Nabinagar highways are often closed.
