NGWF: The factory owner of Brothers Garments Limited decided to closedown the factory in the early June, 2016. However, the factory owner were not in favour of paying compensation to the workers.
The
factory has a registered trade union named: Brothers Garments Limited Worker
Employees Union, which is affiliated with National Garment Workers Federation
(NGWF). The union leaders had discuss with the Federation leaders and workout a
strategy of the movement to realize the workers’ demands (closing payment)
within shortest possible time.
The
Union, under the leadership of NGWF, continued to pressurize the BGMA (Bangladesh
Garment Manufacturers & Exporter Association), the apex body of the garment
factory owners in Bangladesh & on the factory management in order to
realize the workers demands. Besides, NGWF had raised the issue in a couple of
mass gatherings in Dhaka city.
At
last the factory owner & Management officials sat with leaders of the NGWF
& Union at the BGMEA auditorium on June 30,2016. The discussion continued
the following day, July 1, 2016. The
meeting was presided over by Legal Adviser of the BGMEA Abdul Mannan and
attended by Anwar Hossain, General
Manager & Factory Manager Hadiun Nabi Sweet on behalf of the Management
side while, NGWF President Amirul Haque Amin, NGWF leader Rafiqul Islam Rafique
& President & Vice President of Brothers Garments
Limited Worker Employees Union Javed & Suman on behalf of the workers’
side. Senior Additional Secretary of BGMEA Monsur Khaled & Additional
Secretary (Labour) of BGMEA Md Rafiqul Islam also attended the meeting.
After elaborate discussion, the factory management
& workers side arrived at a 9-point agreement at the meeting. As per
consensus decision, the management will pay the workers at the NGWF central
office on July 2, 2016.
Main features of the agreement includes: 1) The
factory will be considered to be closed from July 1, 2016. The workers &
employees of the factory will be considered as retrenched with effect from July
1, 2016.
2) All workers will get salary, attendance benefit
& overtime payment for the month of June, 2016.
3. Every worker of the factory will get one &
half-month salary as ‘notice pay’.
4) The workers will get one month’s basic pay for
every year of employment as ‘service benefit’.
5) The workers, whose service length is 10-month,
will be considered to be one-year service length and get service benefit of
one-year’s service benefit.
6) The
workers will get Eid (festival) bonus.
7) The workers will get money against accumulated
‘earned leave’
8). The
workers will get all of their ‘arrear salary’.
9) Supervisors, Line Chiefs and Quality Controller
will get similar payment like that of
the workers.
The factory management expressed security concern
about making payment to workers & employees in side the factory. Some
workers also share the concern and requested NGWF leaders make the payment at
the NGWF office on July 2, 2016. The
NGWF representatives accepted the request and the Management paid to the
workers & employees on the following day—July 2, 2016.
Name of factory : Brothers Garments Limited
(HDF) Textile (Unit-2)
(HDF) Textile (Unit-2)
Address : 153/3, 1-A, Tejgaon Industrial Area.
Dhaka-1208
Workers number : 400 of them 350 female
