SAVAR: Belying the management’s announcement of reopening all the four garment factories of Nasa Group here, three of the trouble-ridden factories remained closed Sunday as the owners continued taking punitive action against suspects in violence.

Meanwhile, 12 more workers of the group were suspended Sunday on charges of vandalism and assaulting officials.

About 4,500 workers came to the factories in the morning but had to cease from joining work, creating resentment among the workers.

Three factories of the group—Nasa Global, Nasa Hi-tech and Nasa Basic—were closed Thursday in the wake of labour unrest and vandalism while the management declared one-day holiday in the Nasa AJ Super factory on Saturday.

Of the four factories, workers of only Nasa AJ Super could join their work on Sunday morning. 

Earlier, Lt Col (retd) Golam Mohiuddin, Director of Nasa Group, assured of opening all the four factories Sunday after repair and installation works. “Few more days are needed to reopen the closed three factories,” he now said. 

Confirming the suspension of 12 workers, Golam Mohiuddin said, “Twelve workers of Nasa AJ Super have been suspended as per the Labour Law.”

The suspended workers are operators Jewel, Rabiul, Monwar, Rafiqul, Mostafa, habibur, Hasan Ali, Anwar Hossain, Hamidul, Rajimuddin, Shariful Islam and iron man Sujan Mia.

Additional police and RAB members were deployed in the industrial zone to fend off further trouble. 

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 1425 HRS, JULY 25, 2010