Dhaka, June 24: Around 1,800 workers have been left in limbo following the permanent closure of two garment factories in Gazipur — Unique Washing & Dyeing and Unique Designers Ltd — amid financial difficulties and operational challenges.
The decision to shut down the factories, located in Board Bazar, was confirmed by Mohammad Khalilur Rahman, Additional Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Industrial Police.
A tripartite meeting involving factory management, workers’ representatives, Industrial Police, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), and the Department of Labour was held on Sunday to settle outstanding wage issues and legal dues.
According to officials, the factories had remained closed since June 16. During the meeting, both parties reached an agreement regarding the payment of workers’ unpaid wages, service benefits, and other entitlements.
Under the agreement, workers will receive the remaining 15 days’ wages for April and 18 days’ wages for May. Officers and employees will also be paid all pending salaries. In addition, workers will receive notice pay equivalent to 30 days’ basic salary and service benefits calculated at 20 days’ basic salary for each completed year of service.
Maternity benefits, accrued leave payments, resignation benefits, and deposits in various funds will also be cleared after verification. Authorities said all dues would be paid in a single installment on July 27.
The closure has caused distress among workers, many of whom relied on the factories as their sole source of income.
“My home is in Sherpur. I worked here to support my wife and children. Now we are stranded,” said worker Billal Sohag, expressing concern over his son’s education and his wife’s medical treatment.
Labour leaders, however, criticised the closure and the compensation package. Shafiul Alam, president of the Gazipur Metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said the agreement was “not worker-friendly” and alleged that many legal entitlements had not been fully ensured.
He warned that the sudden closure has left hundreds of experienced workers unemployed, adding further pressure on the country’s already fragile garment sector.
