The controversial business conglomerate, S Alam Group, has announced the closure of six of its factories in Chattogram.
The six factories are S Alam Refined Sugar Industries, S Alam Power Plant Limited, S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited, S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited-NOF, S Alam Power Generation Limited, and Infinity C R Strips Industries Limited. Two of these factories are located in Kalarpul, Karnaphuli Upazila, three in Icchanagar, and one in Banshkhali.
Closure notices were posted at these factories on Tuesday. Initially, workers protested, but the situation later calmed down.
In a notice signed by Mohammad Borhan Uddin, Head of Human Resources and Administration at S Alam Group, it was stated that, due to unavoidable circumstances and under the instructions of the authorities, the factories would remain closed from December 25 (Wednesday) until further notice. However, the security, supply, and emergency departments would remain operational.
At around 3:30 pm on Tuesday, over a hundred workers protested inside the S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited factory in the Kalarpul area, near the western end of the Shikalbaha Canal. They expressed concerns about how their families would be affected by the sudden closure notice.
Nazim Uddin, the production manager at S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited, said, "Everything was running normally in our factory, but suddenly a notice for leave was issued. We don't know the reason for this unexpected holiday."