Gazipur wage protest: holiday declared at over 150 factories, three police vehicles vandalised and set alight
Garment workers from factories across Gazipur took to the streets again on Monday (2 November) demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. Amid clashes with police and BGB personnel, protesters vandalised and set fire to three police vehicles. A holiday was declared at more than 150 factories because of the workers' movement.
At around 8:30am on Monday, workers from various factories began demonstrating on the highway in Gazipur's Palli Bidyut area. The protest then spread along the Dhaka-Tangail highway. Repeated clashes and chases followed as police and BGB personnel tried to disperse the workers. Several BGB members and journalists were injured.
Earlier in the morning, workers had blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Safipur Palli Bidyut and Chandra. At around 11am, police and BGB personnel chased them to disperse the crowd, and a BGB member was injured by a brick thrown by protesters.
At around noon, protesters vandalised and set fire to several police vehicles in the Naojor area of Gazipur city. A Somoy TV reporter and cameraperson were attacked there and their camera was vandalised. Other journalists were also attacked, beaten and had their mobile phones snatched.
Amzad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said workers were demonstrating again today and that a holiday had been declared at more than 150 factories because of the movement. He said the BGB, district and metropolitan police and industrial police were working to bring the situation under control.
On Sunday, workers had demonstrated with the same demand in Konabari, Safipur, Palli Bidyut and nearby industrial areas of Gazipur, clashing repeatedly with police. Protesters set fire to a police box and vandalised several vehicles, and traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway was halted for about six hours that day.
After the holiday was declared, workers from those factories were reported to be demonstrating by blocking the highway at various points.
