Coronavirus fears: Workers demonstrate demanding factory closure at Ishwardi EPZ

Angry workers of a Chinese company at Ishwardi EPZ today besieged the factory and staged demonstration, demanding the owners shut it down and allow leave for the workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

EPZ authority later brought the situation under control and the company authority also announced leave for the workers, reports our Pabna correspondent.

The incident happened at Stella Hair Products Limited (Unit-1) at around 3:00pm when the angry workers besieged the factory and EPZ office demanding leave, said Md Bahauddin Faruki, officer-in-charge of Ishwardi Police Station.

Most of the garment factories at the EPZ have already announced closure as the country is in a 10-day shutdown for containing the spread of coronavirus. But few companies, including Stella Hair Products, are still operational at the EPZ, the workers alleged, adding that workers from Pabna, Kushtia, and Natore districts were coming to the factories but there were no transports for them.

Under the circumstance, the workers -- mostly female -- are facing crises and have security concerns, some protesters said seeking anonymity.

"This is not a big problem. The company authority has already announced leave for the workers," an official at Ishwardi EPZ told The Daily Star.

Asked about factories running operations at Ishwardi EPZ amid countrywide closure, the GM said the EPZ authority has nothing to do in this regard.

"We are waiting for the decision of Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA) in this regard. Without their permission we can't close EPZ," the official also said.

Most of the garment factories, however, have already closed down, he added.

Over 19 investors from different countries including, India, China, Japan are running businesses at the Ishwardi EPZ.