Two workers including a woman injured in Ashulia workers-police clash, 20 factories shut

In Dhaka's Ashulia industrial area, workers have protested against the indefinite closure of garment factories and the failure to publish a specific pay structure. The protest, which began on Tuesday morning, led to repeated clashes and chases between workers and police.

Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to control the situation. Two people, including a woman worker, were injured.

The injured workers are Alamgir Hossain and Razia Begum. The Ashulia Women and Children Hospital authorities confirmed that they were hit by rubber bullets. As Razia's condition is serious, she has been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

Harun-or-Rashid, Manager (Operations) of the Ashulia Women and Children Hospital in Nishchintapur, said two workers named Alamgir Hossain and Razia Begum came to their hospital for treatment after being injured by rubber bullets. Razia was hit in the head by a rubber bullet.

According to workers, police and labour leaders, after days of labour unrest, all garment factories of New Age Group in Ashulia's Nishchintapur area were declared closed indefinitely from Tuesday.

When workers arrived in the morning to join work, they saw the closure notice in front of the factories. This angered them. At one point they went to nearby factories and called on other workers to come out as well. Tension spread across the whole industrial area.

Considering the situation, the authorities declared a holiday for the day at several garment factories in the area from Nishchintapur to Chhaytala. After the factories were shut, the workers brought out a protest march.

At one point they took position on the Abdullahpur-Bypass road and tried to block it. When police tried to remove them, clashes and chases broke out between the two sides. Police then fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets. Several workers were reportedly injured.

The workers said that after the government formed a wage board, workers in Savar and Ashulia had stopped their movement and returned to work. But as no specific pay structure was announced, discontent remained in many factories. In some factories workers turned up at work but sat idle without working. They had not taken to the streets or protested. Then the indefinite closure of New Age Group's factories spread fresh tension. They took to the movement in protest against this decision.

Khairul Mamun Mintu, law affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre, made the same point.

Confirming today's labour unrest, Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, Superintendent of Police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said workers of several factories had taken to the streets and were protesting and causing disorder. According to the latest information, at least 20 factories have been declared shut for the day due to the unrest.

As of the latest reports, sporadic chases between workers and police were continuing at various points on the road. Meanwhile, despite the declared holiday, workers of at least two factories in the Jamgora area had re-entered their factories and resumed work, it was learnt.