All RMG units at Ashulia shut as violence flares

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association on Monday decided to keep all garment factories at Ashulia closed for an indefinite period from today.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting last night after violent demonstrations by garment workers at Ashulia all day in which more than 100 people, including 12 police men were injured, 20-25 vehicles were vandalised and the highways linking Ashulia, including Nabinagar-Kaliakoir, Ashulia-Tongi and EPZ-Abdullahpur, were blocked from 2:00pm to 6:00pm.
‘We have decided to keep the factories at Ashulia shut for an indefinite period after the owners were forced to close at least 200 factories on Monday in the face of workers unrest,’ BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy told New Age after the meeting that was also attended by garment factory owners from Ashulia.
The factories at Ashulia will remain closed until the situation improves and the government ensures law and order and good working atmosphere at the factories there, he said.
The clashes erupted at about 8:00am when police charged into several thousand garment workers staging demonstrations for the third consecutive day demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 5,000.
The workers fought pitched battles with police as the law enforcers fired tear gas, used water cannons and charged baton to disperse them. The workers hurled stones at police in retaliation.
More than 100 garment workers and 12 police personnel, including Savar police sub-inspector Aminul Islam, were injured and 25 factories and as many vehicles damaged.
The injured were taken to local hospitals and clinics.
Police brought the situation under control by the evening.
At least 25 garment factories, including Ananta Garments, Ochine Gate and Shade Fashion Ltd at Narasinghapur, Meghna Apparels, Envoy Garments and Universe at Jamgara and Skyline and Pearl Garments at Palashbari were ransacked during the clashes. Some markets, including Sameer Plaza and Bhuiyan Market in Jamgara area were also ransacked.
The atmosphere at Ashulia started heating up since June 18, when supervisors of a factory assaulted a woman worker during a work stoppage for pay hike.
The agitating workers said on Monday they had no way but to take to the streets as the owners refused to increase their wages and shut down a number of factories.
Till Monday evening, three cases were lodged with the Ashulia police station – two against 180 people on charge of attack on factories and the other against 200 unnamed people, police said.
The police so far arrested two workers.
The police said NASA Group’s administrative officer Yousuf Majumder filed a case against 59 named and 80 unnamed workers with the Ashulia police on Friday.
The second case was filed by the same group’s official Gofran Ali against 11 named and 30 unnamed workers after Saturday’s clash.
The Ashulia police officer-in-charge, Sirajul Islam, said the police filed the third case against about 200 unnamed workers in connection with attack on vehicles and law enforcers on Sunday.
Sources said the workers demanded Tk 6,200 in their minimum wage, which is now Tk 1,662 as set in 2006. The owners offered the workers only Tk 1,887.

Courtesy of NewAge