RMG workers go berserk over wage

Clashes with police leave more than 50 people injured
Thousands of garment workers went berserk over wage related disputes with factory owners, damaged scores of vehicles and put barricades on the Dhaka-Aricha and Dhaka-Narayanganj highways on Monday, leaving more than 50 people, including five policemen, injured.
The law enforcers charged batons, and used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the angry workers who fought back with brickbats, triggering hour-long clashes in Narayanganj and Saver.
The furious workers damaged more than 35 vehicles and set ablaze a police pick-up van on the highway near Savar, halting traffic on the busy highway for more than one and a half hour, police and witnessed said.
Several hundreds angry workers of a factory of Doel Group located at Ulaial in Savar started work abstention and staged demonstration demanding payment of their two months’ due salaries and allowances after lunch hours at around 2:30pm.
The workers also vandalised some windowpanes and office equipment of the factory, demanding immediate payment of their wages which the factory owners had earlier committed to pay after lunch hour.
The workers alleged that the factory owners earlier used to pay their wages by 7th of every month, but they failed to pay them timely in last two months.
At one stage, the angry workers took to the street in front of the Ulail Bus Stand and put barricade on the Dhaka-Aricha highway.
Huge contingents of police and Rapid Action Battalion rushed to the scene and charged batons to bring the situation under control. But the workers countered the assault pelting brickbats on them turning whole area into a virtual battlefield where some 50 people were injured.
Enraged by police action, the workers started damaging vehicles stranded on the road for the barricade when the passengers, especially women and children, shouted for help during the vandalism.
The officer-in-charge of Savar Police station Nasir Ullah told New Age, ‘We had to shot teargas canisters and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.’
Police managed to bring the situation under control after a meeting with factory authorities and police high officials at around 4:00pm.
The chief accountant of the Doel Group Biddut Mitra told New Age, the workers vandalised their factory premises and damaged furniture and office equipments during the clash.
In Narayanganj, several hundreds garments workers of Rukhshi Sweater Factory Limited located in BSIC industrial area in Fatullah took to the street and put barricade on the Dhaka-Narayanganj highway demanding pay hike on Monday morning.
The angry workers brought out a procession and shouted slogans demanding higher wages and called workers of the neighbouring factories to join them in solidarity.
As the workers denied to join hands with the agitators, the unruly workers attacked and vandalised neighbouring factories of NR Group, Bay Cotton, Madina Group, Pioneer Garments and Shovon Garments, pelting stones and brickbats.
Huge contingents of police, paramilitary, members of Bangladesh Rifles and Rapid Action Battalion rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control.

Courtesy of NewAgebd