Jumbangla Desk: After 23 days, five factories of TNZ Group have opened in Mogarkhal area of Gazipur city. Garment workers joined work from Saturday morning.
The factory authorities have paid the one month arrears of 3 thousand 620 workers and 120 staff of five factories of TNZ Group three days ahead of schedule, last Thursday.
The factory authorities and workers said that after the payment of salary last Thursday, a notice was pulled in front of the factory - the factory will be open from today Saturday. According to that instruction, the workers joined the work as usual from this morning.
Chairman of TNZ Apparels Group. Hedaytul Haque, last Thursday the workers' outstanding salary was paid. Besides, there are some other dues which will be paid by the 30th of the current month. The workers joined the work peacefully from Saturday morning. I hope there will be no more problems. I express my gratitude to all including the Advisory Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment for solving this labor crisis in the factory.
It has been found that TNZ Group has five factories in Mogarkhal area of Gazipur City Corporation. Among these factories, there are 2 thousand 800 workers in TNZ Apparels Limited, 420 in Basic Clothing Limited and 400 in Apparels Art Limited. They were owed salaries for the months of September and October. Besides, there are 40 staff at Expo Carton and 80 staff at MNS Yarn Dyeing Factory. They were arrears of salary and service benefits for the last two months.
It is to be noted that from 9:30 am on November 9, around 2,000 workers of five factories of TNZ Group started a protest by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Malek Bari area of Gazipur City Corporation demanding two months' arrears of salary. It caused severe traffic jam on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and Dhaka-Tangail highway. Common people suffer and transportation of goods is hampered. After three consecutive days of protests, Labor Ministry Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman announced that the government will take initiative to pay the workers' salaries.
The MoU was signed in the presence of 31 labor representatives of TNZ Group, BGMEA and Ministry of Labor officials in a meeting held at Shram Bhavan last Monday night. It was decided that the arrears of the workers for the month of September and October 30 will be paid by November 17. The authorities will open the factories of the group soon. Besides, if anyone blocks the road again before November 30, then the money will not be paid. Later, when the workers announced the lifting of the blockade, traffic started on the road after 10 pm on Monday (November 11).
