Hundreds of RMG workers stage sit in for arrears

Hundreds of workers of a garment factory yesterday staged a sit-in inside the factory in Gazipur's Sreepur, demanding their arrears.

Workers of MHC Apparels Ltd at Bhangnahati said 1,900 out of 3,000 workers entered the factory in the morning but did not work.

The factory authorities did not pay their dues for the last three months, the workers said, claiming that they had not been getting their overtime bills since last August.

Although the authorities assured them of paying their arrears several times, they were yet to get their dues, they said.

They also alleged that the authorities had threats issued to them by local musclemen.

But the authorities denied the allegation.

SR Azad, assistant general manager (admin) of MHC Apparels Ltd, however, said Tk 4,000 was sent to each worker through mobile financial service accounts as part of March salary.

The remaining dues will be paid on May 13, he told The Daily Star by phone.

Regarding the arrears for the month of February, Azad said some eight to nine workers were yet to get their dues as they were absent.

He added that the workers did not get their overtime bill only for the months of February and March.

Meanwhile, some 2,592 out of 7,602 factories were opened across the country yesterday.

Of the opened factories, 1,074 are BGMEA members, 314 BKMEA members, 153 Bangladesh Textile Mills Association members, and 289 Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority members. Some 975 were opened in other categories, industrial police said.

Some 537 factories were opened in Dhaka, 960 in Gazipur, 651 in Chattogram, 446 in Narayanganj, 107 in Mymensingh, and 104 in Khulna, the industrial police added.

Our Gazipur correspondent contributed to this report.