Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Around 40,000 workers from 16 closed factories of the Beximco Group staged a human chain on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway, demanding the resumption of letter of credit (LC) facilities and the reopening of factories on Tuesday.
The program began at 10am and continued for two hours. The workers lined up on the Dhaka-bound lane, holding banners as part of their protest. They announced they would leave the highway by 1pm.
Despite the protest, traffic on the highway remained unaffected. Earlier, workers began gathering in front of the Beximco Industrial Park in Chakrobarti, Gazipur, from 8am before positioning themselves in orderly lines along the highway, avoiding traffic-heavy areas.
It is worth mentioning that on December 15, the Ministry of Labour and Employment decided to close 16 factories under the Beximco Industrial Park following a meeting of the advisory council tasked with reviewing the labour and business situation of Beximco’s industrial establishments.
Salman Fazlur Rahman, adviser to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, heads the organization. Accused in multiple cases, he is currently in jail.
The government said that the closure was due to a lack of orders and the company’s inability to operate because of defaulted bank loans.
The aggrieved workers said they had previously staged several demonstrations, blocking the Chandra-Nabinagar highway to demand the reopening of the factories.
During the last protest on December 21, law enforcement forces dispersed the workers by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Since then, the workers have refrained from staging protests and have instead been holding peaceful human chain programs.
As per prior announcements, thousands of workers began gathering in the Chakraborti area of Gazipur City Corporation. Later, they took positions at various spots along the Dhaka-bound lane of the Nabinagar to Chandra highway, forming human chains.
Jamila, a worker at the Beximco factory, said: “No matter where we go, we are not getting any jobs. We can’t even pay our rent. People turn us away, saying no one will hire workers from Beximco. How will we survive? Where will we go? Whenever we try to get jobs, they refuse us.”
She added: “Even the landlords are asking us to bring money from home. Where will we get money from? Do we have land or property back home? Are we landowners? We can’t even buy groceries on credit anymore, as shopkeepers are refusing to trust us, saying- How much longer will we wait for payment?”
Mohammad Jamal Uddin, a quality inspector at Beximco, said: “The primary objective of today’s (Tuesday) program is to demand the reopening of our company’s letters of credit (LCs) and the payment of our wages. Reopening the company would allow thousands of workers to breathe a sigh of relief.”
“We want our wages and allowances to be paid so our families can live in peace. We are not trying to create any disorder—we are maintaining a peaceful stance. If this company survives, so do our families. Around 40,000 of us workers are stationed along the Chandra-to-Nabinagar highway,” he added.
