Workers of Ananta Apparels and Ananta Fashion
staging demonstration at Bata Signal, on the Elephant Road in Dhaka City.
The National
Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) has led 6000 workers of the Ananta
Apparels Limited & Ananta Fashion Limited to resist factory relocation, win
full festival bonus on Eid and terminate & punish the oppressive officer,
who tortured a pregnant worker forcing her to have caesarean section to give
birth immature baby.
The NGWF members, who work in Ananta factory, took a
section of workers of Ananta Apparels Limited & Ananta Fashion Limited to
NGWF office. The workers alleged that the factory owner would relocate the two
garment factories to Narayangonj, about 30 kilometers away from Dhaka city, and
would not pay full Eid (festival) bonus. The workers said they would not go
Narayanganj because the place is far away from their respective residence.
Besides, they couldn’t get their children enrolled in schools at the new place
since this is the middle of the academic year. They requested NGWF to help them
realize compensation.
The workers
discussed with NGWF President Amirul Haque Amin, who advised them (workers) to
get united to use all avenues of struggle to materialized their demands.
The NGWF organizers helped the 2 (Ananta) garment
factories’ workers to lodged a ‘grievance petition’ to the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers & Exporters Association) against the owner & management
of Ananta Apparels Limited & Ananta Fashion Limited on 20.06.2016. The
petition was signed by 930 workers of these 2-factory that belong to same group
of industries & share the same building in Dhaka city. The petition was
aimed at forcing the owner of both the factories agree to workers’ demands
through “Arbitration & Conciliation”.
1 NGWF President Amirul Haque Amin briefing Ananta
organizers about the strategy of their struggles.
There is a ‘Arbitration & Conciliation
Committee” at the BGMEA, which is the apex body garment factories’ owners. The
Committee comprises with factory owner, trade unions and BGMEA official on case
to case basis. A retired judge, supposed to be independent Chair, heads the
committee, which mediate between workers & factory owner.
The workers began action program from 23.06.2016
& continue their protests till 26.06.2016.
The management sat with the workers’ representatives at BGMEA on 25.06.206
& agreed to implement 3-demand. The whole struggles was led by NGWF.
The management announced that they would not
relocate the two factories, paid full Eid (festival) bonus i.e. the one-month basic pay (60% of gross salary) & sacked the
oppressive ‘Line Chief’ and filed a criminal case to police against the man.
