Several hundreds workers of readymade garments factories staged demonstrations, locked in clashes with cops vandalised scores of vehicles blocking the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Kaliakoir in Gazipur demanding minimum wages at Tk 8,000 on Sunday morning. Fearing large scale vandalism, the authorities of at least 70 textiles and garment factories located at Kaliakoir and Chandra industrial areas, decided to suspend their production on Sunday and announced general holiday.
Witnesses said several hundred workers of Niagra Textile Limited started work abstention and staged demonstration at around 8:30am demanding Tk 8,000 as minimum salary. Soon after the incident, several groups of workers became unruly and vandalised glasses, windowpanes of the building of Niagra Textile Limited.
At one stage, they went to neighbouring garment factories of DBL and Noor groups and continued the vandalism.
Later workers from surrounding areas including Noor Group, Inter Stop factory joined the demonstration
and blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
On information police including industrial police rushed to the spot and tried to disperse them from the highway by charging baton. But the workers became angry and countered the police assault by pelting stones and brickbats on the law enforcers triggering a fierce clash.
As the workers started to vandalise vehicles stranded on the road, police fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets and sound grenades to bring the situation under control leaving at least 30 people injured.
Police managed to disperse them from the highway and restore road communication from 9.00am.
At least 30 garments workers were injured in the incident. They were given treatment at nearby clinics and hospitals.
Later hundreds of workers from adjacent Konabari, Kashimpur area joined them.
Sensing trouble and further deterioration of law and order situation, authorities of at least 90% of the factories on that area announced closed for Sunday.
-With The Independent input
