Daily wage workers at Jamuna Fertilizer Factory in Jamalpur staged a protest on Saturday, alleging that their November wages were embezzled by a contractor appointed by the factory authorities. The workers blocked the main gate of the factory in the Tarakandi area of Sarishabari upazila and observed a strike for nearly four hours.
According to the workers, 239 daily hajira-based employees did not receive their wages for November, totaling Tk 35.58 lakh. They alleged that Al-Momin Outsourcing Services Limited, responsible for wage disbursement, collected the salary funds but failed to pay the workers. Protesters said they worked regularly throughout the month but were left unpaid despite repeated follow-ups.
Factory officials said the full salary cheque was handed over to the contractor on time. Deputy Manager (Administration) Sajedul Karim confirmed that the money was released but claimed the contractor did not distribute the wages and later went into hiding. The factory administration issued written instructions to the contractor to pay the wages by December 18 and informed higher authorities after the deadline passed.
After the workers filed complaints, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments issued a notice on December 23 directing immediate payment of wages and warning of legal action under the Bangladesh Labour Law if the dues were not cleared. Despite this directive, the wages remained unpaid, leading to Saturday’s protest.
Contractor Mominul Islam alleged irregular recruitment by factory officials and claimed only 49 workers had valid documents, while the factory’s General Manager (Administration) Delwar Hossain denied the allegation and said the contractor was responsible for the delay in payments
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