Several thousand workers of different factories under the Pacific Group at the Chattogram Export Processing Zone staged demonstration on Thursday, alleging harassment by the police in connection with a case filed over vandalising a police vehicle in 2024.
The authorities declared a one-day closure of the factories amid the agitation.
The workers later announced that they would resume work tomorrow following mediation by the Industrial Police.
Witnesses and officials said that the protest began at about 10:00am. Workers of Jeans 2000 Limited, which employs about 3,500 people, stopped work and came out of the factory. They gathered in front of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority office inside the CEPZ and started demonstrating.
As the protest continued, workers of other Pacific Group units, including Universal Jeans, Pacific Jeans and NHP Fashions, joined them.
A team of the EPZ police station, members of the Industrial Police, and army personnel reached the spot and tried to persuade the workers to return to their workplaces but failed.
At about 1:00pm, representatives of the workers held a meeting with officials of the Industrial Police and BEPZA. Following the meeting, the Pacific Group authorities declared a one-day closure of the factories. The workers left the BEPZA office area at about 3:30pm.
The workers said that they protested alleged police harassment over a case filed by the Industrial Police after a clash inside the CEPZ on January 5, 2024.
They alleged that Industrial Police members had recently started visiting workers鈥� houses and attempting to detain some of them, spreading fear among workers.
Industrial Police-03 Chattogram superintendent of police Abdullah Al Mahmud denied the allegation of harassment.
He said, 鈥楢 case was filed over an attack on police and vandalising a police vehicle, which is under investigation. There was some misunderstanding. No worker has been arrested. Police visited some houses only to verify addresses as part of the investigation.鈥�
He said that the police held talks with representatives from six groups of protesting workers.
鈥楢fter we explained the matter, the workers understood and left peacefully at about 3:30pm,鈥� he said.
Mahmud said that the Pacific Group authorities, in line with BEPZA regulations, had declared a one-day closure of the factories, but would reopen them tomorrow.