SAVAR: Facing continuous labour unrest, another garment factory of Nasa Group was Saturday put under lockout for a day.

The management declared one-day holiday in the Nasa AJ Super factory at Nishchintapur in Ashulia when the workers turned up in the morning for work.

Earlier on Thursday, three factories of the group—Nasa Global, Nasa Hi-tech and Nasa Basic—were closed in the wake of labour unrest and vandalism.
Factory sources said the authorities closed the factories to avoid damage to the industrial units and to save the situation, as the entire industrial belt is rocked, more often than not, by violent agitation by workers on their common demand for fixing minimum wage structure at Tk 5,000.
Confirming the factory closure, Ashulia thana OC Sirajul Islam told banglanews24.com.bd the workers came to the factories in the morning but had to cease from joining work as the management declared holiday.
He said additional police and RAB members were deployed in the industrial zone to fend off further trouble.  
Lt Col (retd) Mosaddeq Hossain, Director of Nasa Global, said, “Holiday was declared in AJ Super factory to create a production-friendly environment as three other factories were closed.”  
Lt Col (retd) Golam Mohiuddin, Director of Nasa Group, said huge machinery and electrical appliances of the factories were damaged in workers’ vandalism.
“All the four factories will be opened Sunday after repair and installation works,” he said.  
On Wednesday, some 4,000 workers of Nasa Group in Nischintapur area staged demonstrations to press their demands, including resignation of seven officers and withdrawal of the cases filed earlier against the workers during the period of massive labour unrest in Ashulia in June.

Later on Thursday, at least 40 people, including RAB and police personnel and garment workers, were injured in a clash that erupted in the Nasa precincts. At one stage, the workers allegedly ransacked three factories.

Following the incident, Nasa Group authorities Friday suspended 109 workers and sued 619 others of their three garment factories in tough punitive actions on charges of vandalism.

BDST 1345 HRS, JULY 24, 2010