Police club Tuba workers demanding reopening of closed units

FE Team | Published: August 21, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

FE Report
Police intercepted Tuba Group workers who were staging demonstration Wednesday demanding immediate reopening of all closed units.
Several hundred workers under the banner of Tuba Group Sramik Sangram Committee came under police action at about 3:10pm when they were staging the agitation on Badda-Gulshan Link Road.
The law enforcers also charged baton on the demonstrators to maintain smooth movement of vehicles on the busy road that left a few of the protesters injured.
President of Garments Sramik Oikya Forum Mushrefa Mishu, also coordinator of the Sangram Committee, was picked up by the police as the workers were trying to put up a barricade around Hossain Super Market, which house three units of Tuba Group.
When contacted, Officer-in-Charge of Badda Police Station, Abdul Jalil, said they foiled the agitation for not having any permission of holding such programme.
"We will not accept anything that hinders vehicular movement in the capital," he added.
Talking to the FE, Finance Secretary of the Forum Shahidul Islam Sabuz said police launched the attack while the demonstrators were moving towards Aftabnagar in the area.
"It was a programme that was announced earlier and we informed the police about it," he said.
He was very critical of the decision to shut down five Tuba units under article 13(1) of the labour laws, saying that the owner cannot do so as no worker was involved in vandalism or violent activities.
"The decision was taken only to deprive the workers of their rightful compensation. We don't accept the decision at all. The owner must follow the laws and pay compensation before closing the units," he added.
Another leader of the committee Joly Akhter said the owners have been forcing the workers towards movement again by hanging the closure notice.
The authorities of Tuba Group on Monday hung a notice outside the office, saying that the factories will remain closed due to the ongoing unrest centring full payment of their wages.
The decision, however, created uncertainty among the workers over getting rightful compensation as apparel makers said there is no legal obligation of clearing compensation to the workers, whose factories were shut under the article 13(1) of the country's existing labour laws.
But leaders of workers' groups rejected the owners' claim, saying that owners of the factories must declare lay-off if they want to shut the units as the demonstrating workers did not resort to violence.