Despite their preliminary opposition, garment factory owners on Wednesday night agreed to pay workers Tk 5,300 as the minimum monthly wage fixed by the government.
Representatives of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) agreed to accept the new wages for workers in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence. Wage board negotiator Arshad Jamal said, “BGMEA and BKMEA representatives have agreed to pay workers the new wages.”
He also said that the new wage structure is likely to be implemented from the next month.
“It will be implemented as soon as the gazette notification is made. So it is most likely to be implemented from December.”
Talking to The Independent over phone, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam said that they have accepted the new wage structure following the prime minister’s request and for the greater interest of the nation.
He, however, urged the prime minister to arrange an ‘exit plan’ for those who would not run their factories following the pay-hike of workers, and can get scopes to repay their bank loans.
Earlier owners of all garment factories at Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital decided to keep their factory units closed for another day on Thursday for security concerns following agitation and vandalism by workers.
All factories in the area remained closed on Wednesday for the same reason.
After the meeting with the prime minister, BGMEA vice-president Riaz Bin Mahmood announced that all factories will remain open on Thursday.
On November 4, the Wage Board, formed to fix the minimum monthly wages for garment factory workers, recommended Tk 5,300 as the minimum wage, including food subsidy, amid objections from factory owners. The factory owners rejected the proposal, terming it exaggerated and beyond the ability of the owners to pay. The owners also proposed Tk 4,250 while the workers demanded a monthly minimum wage of Tk 8,114.
Earlier in the day, at least 100 people, including 10 policemen, were injured as readymade garments (RMG) workers staged demonstrations and locked in sporadic clashes with law enforcers at Jamgarah, Zirabo, of Ashulia, Hemayetpur of Savar, and Konabai in Gazipur, demanding early implementation of the recommended new wage of Tk. 5,300 on Wednesday morning.
Sensing trouble and fearing massive vandalism, more than 10 factories decided to stop production and announced a general holiday.
Earlier, on Tuesday the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BGMEA) authorities decided to shut all garments factories located in the Ashulia industrial belt for security concerns and workers’ unrest.
“The authorities have already deployed two platoons of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) to avert any untoward incident,” assistant police super (Savar Circle) Mohammad Rasel Sheikh, who was also injured in the clashes, told The Independent.
Witnesses said several hundred workers of Pride Group, HR Textile Limited Standard Groups, Anlima Yarn Dying Limited started work abstention and staged demonstrations, demanding immediate implementation of their new wage board, around 8:30 am. The agitated workers brought out a protest rally and marched towards the neighbouring factories to ask their workers to express solidarity with them.
Sub-inspector of Savar Zone Industrial Police, Omar Faruk, told The Independent, “As the news of workers unrest spread, most factory authorities stopped their
production for Wednesday and announced a general holiday.
As soon as the news was announced, more than 10,000 workers of different garments units came out of their respective factories and took to the street around 9:30 am. They staged demonstrations and brought out processions. They also tried to block the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Ashulia-Abdullahpur road and the Ashulia-Sigair road.
However, they were dispersed by the police. Enraged with the police assault, the workers started pelting stones and brickbats on the law enforcers, triggering a fierce clash. As the situation was deteriorating, the law enforcers had to fire several rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, leaving at least 50 people, including 10 police personnel, injured.
The RMG units were declared shut due to the workers’ demonstrations and their unwillingness to join work, said Abdus Sattar, deputy assistant director of Ashulia Industrial Police.
Our Gazipur correspondent reports, at least 50 RMG workers were injured in a clash with law enforcers at Konabari area under Gazipur City Corporation on Wednesday morning.
The workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for two-and-a-half hours. Most of the garments factories in the area were closed for the day to avert violence. The Border Guard Bangladesh ( BGB) were deployed in the area after clashes broke out between the workers and police.
Police and witnesses said, hundreds of workers from Tusaka garments and NTKC garments staged demonstration on the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Konabari area under Gazipur City Corporation around 9 am, demanding the implementation of new salary scale as declared by the wage commission.
The workers also protested about the closure of the factories. Most of the workers of different garments factories of Kashimpur, Jorun, Bimile area joined with them. At one stage, the agitated workers put barricade on the highway and vandalized some vehicles and glasses and windowpanes of some garments factories.
On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and tried to clear the highway. The law enforcers charged baton, fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.
In-charge of Konabari police out post, Rabiul Islam, said additional law enforcers, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and three platoons of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB), were deployed in the area to avoid any untoward situation.
Assistant superintendent of Industrial Police ASM Shamsur Rahman said 53 garments factories of Konabari BSCIC area and another10 factories of neighbouring areas announced closure for Wednesday.
Besides, the authorities of 20 factories situated in different places under Gazipur Sader upazila had declared holiday on Wednesday following the worker’s unrest.
-With The Independent input
