100 hurt as RMG workers clash with police
Garment owners at Ashulia have decided to keep their factories shut on Wednesday after a series of clashes between workers and police that left over 100 injured on Tuesday.
Abdus Salam Murshdi, former president of Bangladedsh Garment Manfacturers and Exporters Associations ((BGMEA), told The Independent that factory owners at Ashulia had decided to keep their units closed on Wednesday for security concerns.
“We’ll not open our factories to avoid any vandalism,” Murshdi, also the convener of a BGMEA sub-committee for Ashulia Zone, said.
Earlier in the day, fierce clashes broke out between garment (RMG) workers and law enforcers at Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital, after the workers’ agitation turned violent. The workers were demanding that the minimum wage, as recently recommended by the wage board, be implemented as soon as possible.
Around 200 RMG factories were forced to shut down, fearing vandalism, on Tuesday.
During the clash, over 100 people, including policemen, were injured. At least 20 persons, including some workers, were hit by rubber bullets. They were admitted to local clinics.
Rampaging RMG workers pelted stones and brickbats at the police. They also blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
Demanding implementation of the government-sponsored wage-board’s recommendation of Tk. 5,300 as the minimum monthly wage for all RMG workers, garments workers brought out processions in different parts of the country, including Ashulia.
Local sources said that the violent clashes erupted after the workers began their agitation around 8 am on Tuesday. Sensing trouble, police stopped the procession by firing tear-gas shells and rubber bullets. In retaliation, a group of RMG workers blocked the road in front of Ha-Meem Group in Narsinghpur area and set fire to an office room of Next Collection factory.
The factory authorities put out the fire immediately, but many important documents and furniture were destroyed. The workers threatened to continue their stir until the owners pay the minimum wage of Tk 5,300.
Talking to The Independent, Abdus Sattar, Ashulia zone inspector of the Industrial Police-1, said, “The workers has been agitating for the last several days and additional police contingents have been deployed to avert further trouble.”
Border Guard Bangladesh troopers are also patrolling the area, he said.
Meanwhile, one factory was shut down for an indefinite period and three others were closed for the day.
-With The Independent input
