Finlay Tea Company has announced the indefinite closure of its Khajurichhara tea estate and factory in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, from Friday (November 13), amid labour unrest, leaving thousands of workers facing uncertainty.
The decision was announced in a notice signed by the company's Chief Executive Officer (Estates) on Thursday (November 12).
According to the notice, workers staged an unauthorised strike from October 27 to 29 and allegedly forced employees at several facilities to leave their workplaces on Thursday.
The company cited an unstable working environment and invoked Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, to announce the closure. Workers who participated in the strike will not receive wages during the shutdown.
The dispute reportedly began over the construction of a temple without management permission and workers' demand for the removal of a deputy general manager.
The closure has raised concerns over the livelihoods of thousands of tea workers and their families.
-AH