The Grameen Knitwear Limited, a project of the Grameen Bank, on Wednesday shut down its factory for an indefinite period after a violent protest by its workers over wages on Tuesday.
The Ashulia police officer-in-charge, Sirajul Islam, told New Age on Wednesday afternoon that the management had closed the factory, an enterprise of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, in the morning for an indefinite period as the workers vandalised the factory on Tuesday over wages increase.
'More than 2,400 workers of the factory held violent protests, demanding a big increase in lunch fees and transport costs and at least 10 per cent ownership in the company. They damaged parts of the factory on Tuesday,' the police officer said.
Sirajul said that the police were investigating the protests. He said that the Grameen Knitwear was one of the very few companies with a 'good record' of payment to workers.
'The workers shattered some windows of the factory and set fire to some products manufactured by the company for exports,' he said.
On Wednesday, many workers, who came to join the factory, had to return as the authorities posted a notice announcing the closure of the factory, Sirajul said.
The authorities, however, filed no case in this connection till Wednesday evening.
The factory located inside the export processing zone at Savar on the outskirts of the capital is one of the 30 business establishments by Yunus.
Source : New Age
