RMG workers demand wages, reopening of factory at Tongi

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FE Report
The workers of Nippon Garments Friday demanded immediate payment of outstanding wages and reopening of the apparel unit, which remains closed since October last year following unrest at the Tongi Industrial belt.
Several hundred laid-off RMG workers staged demonstration in front of their factory at Ershad Nagar in Tongi to press home their demands.
The workers also put up barricade on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway blocking the road for more than one hour from 10:00am, disrupting vehicular movement that resulted in nagging traffic congestion.
The agitators warned of massive protest if the authorities do not reopen the garment factory by clearing arrears within a short time.
Officer-in-Charge of Tongi police station Tapan Chandra Saha told the FE the demonstrators withdrew thanks to the promise made by Abedin Group, which decided to pay its workers one-month basic salary and Tk 500 in cash as Eid bonus.
Abedin group, owners of the building where the closed apparel unit is located, took responsibility as owners of Nippon Group did not turn up since violent protest rocked the industrial hub that left three people killed and hundreds of others injured last October.
Earlier on January 5, they had demonstrated in front of the BGMEA Bhaban, the country's apparel apex body, with the same demand. Later, they withdrew the protest following assurance from the BGMEA president, who had sought 15 days to resolve the issue.