At least 50 people, including 10 police men, were injured on Sunday as garment workers demonstrated and clashed with law enforcers at Jamgarah, Zirabo, Narasinghapur, of Ashulia and Konabari of Gazipur demanding early implementation of new monthly wages at Tk 5,300. Fearing vandalism, owners suspended production for Sunday at more than 25 factories located at Narasinghapur, Nishchintapur, Zirabo, Pukurpar, Jamgarah and Shimultala of Ashulia and, Hemayetpur, Ulail and Rajphulbaira of Savar and 35 more units at Konabari under Sadar upazila and Kashimpur.
Assistant Superintendent of Savar Police Mohammad Rasel Sheikh told The Independent, “Additional law enforcers, including Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB), have already been deployed to avert any untoward incident.”
Witnesses said several hundred workers of Pride Group, HR Textile Limited Standard Groups, Anlima Yearn Dying Limited started work abstention and staged demonstration demanding immediate implementation of their new wages.
As some workers of neighbouring factories located at Narasinghapur, Nishchintapur, Zirabo, Pukurpar, Jamgarah and Shimultala of Ashulia and, Hemayetpur, Ulail and Rajphulbaira of Savar did not join the agitation, the unruly workers attacked the factories and damaged glasses and windowpanes.
The workers brought out procession and put barricade on Dhaka-Tangail highway. But police charged batons to disperse them from the road.
The workers divided in several small groups and engaged in clashes with police at Jamgarah, Zirabo and Ghosbagh of Ashulia around 9:30am leaving at least 25 people, including 10 police personnel injured.
As the situation deteriorated the law enforcers fired several teargas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.
There are 350 garment factories in Savar and Ashulia Industrial belt in addition to the factories housed inside the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).
The RMG units were declared shut due to workers’ demonstration and their unwillingness to join work, said Abdus Sattar, deputy assistant director of Ashulia Industrial Police.
In Gazipur, several hundred unruly workers of some closed factories located at Konaabri and Kashimpur under Sadar upazila in Gazipur set a factory building on fire at Konabari in Sadar upazila and a nearby kitchen market on Sunday morning demanding reopening of their factories.
ASM Shamsur Rahman, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police told The Independent, “The clashes erupted when workers of two garment factories belonging to Standard Group gathered in front of
their factory buildings and started demonstration at around 8:00am and brought out procession.”
Soon after the incident, several hundred workers from Delta Group, DBL Group Cotton Club, who were demonstrating for a salary hike in Kashimpur, expressed their solidarity and joined hands with protesting workers at around 10:45am, triggering clashes with locals and police leaving at least 25 workers injured.
ASM Shamsur Rahman, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police told The Independent, “The law enforcers had to fire rubber bullets and several rounds of teargas canisters to bring the situation under control.
Angered by police assault the agitated workers, at one stage, set fire to a factory building, but police reached the spot immediately and managed to douse the fire.
As they failed to burn the factory, the unruly workers set ablaze a makeshift kitchen market adjacent to the factories destroying at least 30 shops.
The garment workers’ wage board on November 4 finalised its recommendation that Tk 5,300 should be the minimum salary for workers.
-With The Independent input
