Garment workers protest in Ashulia, Gazipur and Mirpur for a 30,000-taka minimum wage; covered van torched in clashes, 150 factories shut for the day
Garment factory workers took to the streets from Monday morning (2 November) in the capital's Mirpur and in the industrial areas of Ashulia in Savar and Gazipur, pressing various demands including a minimum wage of 30,000 taka. In Ashulia and Mirpur there were repeated chases and counter-chases between workers and law enforcers, with brickbats thrown and tear gas fired; a covered van was set on fire in Ashulia. In Gazipur, the authorities of 150 industrial establishments declared a holiday.
Eyewitnesses said that in Ashulia, at around 9:30am, workers of the Newage factory in Narsingpur came out of the factory after ending a work stoppage and began protesting. Their protest, over demands including a minimum wage of 30,000 taka, later spread to nearby factories.
After 10am, the protests turned into clashes in the Narsingpur and Nishchintapur areas of the Abdullahpur-Baipail road. The protesters first gathered in front of the Ananta Group factory and later in front of the Ha-Meem Group factory. Tension rose with police when they tried to blockade the road; at one stage workers threw brickbats and the situation turned into chases, counter-chases and clashes.
To bring the situation under control, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the workers. Several rounds of chases and counter-chases took place between the two sides. Amid the clashes, at around 11:10am, agitated workers set fire to a garment factory's covered van in front of the Nodi filling station in Narsingpur.
During the clashes, Industrial Police-1 ASP (Operations and Intelligence) Shoaib Ahmed was injured by brickbats. He said police and law enforcement members were working to bring the situation under control, with sufficient police personnel on duty in the field.
Because of the clashes, the authorities declared a general holiday at most garment factories in the Ashulia industrial area and along the road. As of 11:30am, when this report was written, a tense situation prevailed at the scene, with workers and law enforcers facing off against each other. No major casualties were reported immediately. Additional police were deployed at the scene and in surrounding areas to keep the situation normal.
Meanwhile, at around 9:15am, workers gathered at the Mirpur-10 intersection in the capital and tried to block the main road. When police ordered them to leave the road, brickbats were thrown from the workers' side. In response, police fired tear gas shells, quickly removed the protesters from the road and brought the situation under control. Mirpur police station officer-in-charge (OC) Hafizur Rahman confirmed the matter, saying: "The workers came to blockade the road; we removed them."
Gazipur's industrial area was also tense from the morning. From 7am, workers blockaded the highway in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila; from 8:30am, protests began with a blockade of the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Palli Bidyut and Mouchak areas. Workers from various factories in Konabari, Sofipur and Mouchak also took positions at different points of the highway.
Because of the workers' firm position, traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway came to a halt and a severe traffic jam formed along about 10 kilometres of the highway. Passengers and drivers travelling to various destinations suffered. Naojor police outpost sub-inspector (SI) Abdul Karim said traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway remained stopped because of the workers' sit-in.
Gazipur Industrial Police superintendent Amjad Hossain said: "Because of the workers' movement, a general holiday was declared at 45 factories in Gazipur yesterday. Today the authorities have declared holidays at 150 factories. Workers' protests are continuing in various areas." Kaliakair police station OC Shahidul Islam said police, BGB and other law enforcement agencies were deployed to restore order on the highway and prevent any untoward incident. Faced with the overall security situation, the authorities were forced to declare temporary holidays at garment factories in the Mouchak, Palli Bidyut, Sufipur and Horinghati areas.
To control the ongoing movement for pay rises and other demands and the situation it has created, ten platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in Gazipur. Led by 21 executive magistrates, BGB members will work to keep law and order normal in the district's industrial areas. Police and industrial police are also on alert at the gates of factories in the industrial zone.
Workers have been protesting for several days in Gazipur and other industrial areas demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka. Although a new wage board has been formed, garment factory workers continued their protests from Monday morning, blockading highways in various areas.
