Need Your Support and Solidarity: Workers of the Swan Garment are struggling for three months

Continuous sit in protest is going on since 12th July

 Dear Friends and Comrades,

Revolutionary greetings from Bangladesh.

Swan Garment factory is one of the factories which are situated in Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. This Factory is owned by a Chinese owner. Around 1300 workers worked in this factory, among them 80% are young women. On last 10 April the owner, all of a sudden, declared the closure of the factory, without giving the salaries and other benefits due to the workers. However, workers forced the owner to give them the salary of the month of March and the owner promised to give other financial benefits which are due to them. But the promise was never kept and still the workers are struggling to get their arrears salary and other dues. Firstly, the sudden closure without giving notice is illegal according to the law of the country. Secondly, the owner is obliged to pay all other arrears and dues, for which the workers are fighting now. Now the Workers have been continuously sitting day and night, even amidst heavy rain, in front of the National Press Club by the side of one of the main roads, at the center of the city.

However the Govt. just ignored the protest and the stage of workers and did not take any step to meet the most genuine legal demand to pay the arrears.

Now the Eid festival, which is the most important religious festival of the Muslim community, has arrived. Still the workers have not been paid their arrears. Even on the Eid day workers had to make their protest by the side of the road, and they could not take part in the social festival, which is so unusual in our society. Govt is still behaving most irresponsibly.

Our demand is 1) Immediately arrears and bonus should be paid 2) The factory, which is illegally closed, should be reopened 3) The false charges and cases should be withdrawn.

Under such circumstances, We request you to express your solidarity with the workers of Swan Garment, so that it may put pressure on the government and help the workers to fulfill their legal demands.

Workers of the world, Unite!

Monzur Moin
Secretary, International Affairs
Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center

Bangladesh

Please send your solidarity messages to:

The list of the buyers of Swan Garment is herewith