Assembly of TNZ factory workers held demanding overdue salaries and allowances

An assembly was held on Monday (April 7) afternoon in the Balur Math area of Bason, Gazipur, by over a hundred workers and employees of three factories of the TNZ Group, demanding overdue salaries, Eid bonuses, and other dues. This assembly is being held as part of the ongoing movement that started since March 23, where workers protested against the dilatory tactics of the owners and the inactivity of the government. From the assembly, labor leaders demanded all their dues, including unpaid salaries and Eid bonuses.

Speakers demanded the resignation of the Labor Advisor due to breaking promises and employing dilatory tactics. Labor leaders expressed solidarity with the struggle of the people of Palestine, and also protested against Israel and America, which backs the genocide. After the assembly, leaders stated that they will sit with the authorities and the government in a scheduled meeting at the Labor Building tomorrow morning to realize their demands.

According to the workers, there are about Tk 18 crore in arrears across the three factories—TNZ Apparel Ltd, Apparel Plus Eco Ltd, and Apparel Art Ltd. Under pressure from protests in the last few weeks, the owner side has paid only Tk 4.32 crore, which is not even a quarter of the total dues. It has been alleged that in the tripartite meeting of the Ministry of Labor on March 29, the owner side broke the promise of giving Tk 3 crore before Eid and instead paid Tk 2.67 crore.

Several workers were injured in the police baton charge, tear gas shelling, and sound grenade firing during the program to besiege the Ministry of Labor on March 25. Worker Aminul Islam suffered a waist injury in this incident and is still undergoing treatment. Additionally, there are allegations that student leader Dilip Roy was arrested and detained by the police.

Citing the financial report of the TNZ Group, the workers said that the institution's annual business volume is Tk 3100 crore ($255 million USD), of which the annual sales of its affiliate Stylex Corporation is Tk 2248 crore. They questioned how such a large business enterprise could be unable to pay workers' salaries. At the April 7 assembly, workers gave an ultimatum to pay all arrears before the tripartite meeting on April 8.

They warned that if the demands are not met, the movement will intensify further. Labor leaders called upon the government not to side with the owners and to intervene for a fair solution. Their next program will depend on the outcome of the upcoming meeting.