At least 50 people, including 17 policemen, were injured when apparel workers, rallying for an increase in production rate, clashed with the police at Nawjor and Kaliakair in Gazipur on Saturday.
Witnesses said Diganta Garments workers had clashed with police about 9:00am at Nawjor in the district headquarters. They went out on demonstrations on a 3km stretch of the Dhaka–Tangail Highway, blocking the road for more than an hour and creating congestion on the bypass.
Several hundred workers of Hachong Bangladesh at Baroipara of Kaliakair also
went out on demonstrations at the factory gate alleging they were paid Tk 6 to Tk 7 less than they had been paid the month before in production rate, the police said.
Kaliakair police subinspector Osman Ghani said the workers had rallied for increased production rates since the morning.
Workers Aslam and Solaiman alleged that some dishonest officials had not paid them the amount allocated for them by the factory owner.
The workers left the place about 3:00pm after the administrative officer Nazmul Alam assured them of paying the full amount.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, additional superintendent of police Gazipur, said Diganta Garments workers had started rallying for increased production rate and removal of general manager MA Motalleb Miah.
Several thousand workers about 8:45am came out of the factory and started throwing stones at the factory building.
The workers also damaged two covered vans and a bus of the factory and set on fire a motorcycle and some furniture which they pulled onto the road.
The situation worsened after the police had reached the place as workers started throwing stones at the lawmen.
At least 50, including 17 policemen, the factory’s production manager Farid Hossain, merchandisers Sohel Rana and Shakil Ahmed, technical manager Mohammad Hazrat Ali, and cut-piece trader Sentu Mia were injured in the attack. ASP Mohamad Akhtaruzzaman was among the injured.
Lawmaker AKM Mozammel Haque, Gazipur deputy commissioner Kamal Uddin Talukder, police superintendent SM Mahfuzul Haque Nuruzzaman and local elite reached the place about 11:45am and talked with the workers.
Mozammel later at a meeting between the owner and workers in front of the MH Filling Station in the presence of district administration officials asked the authorities to look into legitimate demands of the workers.
The managing director, Mohammad Kamal Uddin, agreed to meet the demand and increase the production rate. He promised to make the payment on Monday afternoon.
The situation started became normal about 2:00pm. The Diganta authorities decided to keep the factory closed on Sunday.
Workers of Karoni Knit Composite Limited at Ratanpur of Kaliakair went out on demonstrations over discrimination in wages in the morning.
The police said more than 200 old workers of the factory had gone on strike in protest at increase in pay for the new workers.
The police later reached there and controlled the situation.
