Closure of Factory RMG workers stage demo 50 hurt in clash with cops Sunday, July 14, 2013 -The Daily Star Garment workers yesterday staged demonstrations at three points in Gazipur district over several issues, including a pay hike, which was followed by clashes with law enforcers and production suspension. At least 50 people with 12 policemen were injured in a clash between police and garment workers at Panisail on the Kaliakoir-Nabinagar highway. Around 10:00am, workers blocked the road in protest against the shutdown of Machhihata Sweater Factory. The demonstration was a sequel to Thursday’s incident when a group of employees of the factory beat up an official following an altercation over their demand for a pay hike, said Shah Mohammad, an assistant sub-inspector of Gazipur Industrial Police. The workers had been agitating for higher pay for the last three weeks. Thursday’s incident prompted an announcement through which the factory was closed for an indefinite period. Enraged by this, around 4,000 workers, including emplyees of adjacent factory units, blocked the highway yesterday for about two and a half hours, local people said. They also broke down glasses of at least 15 factories. Clashes took place when police tried to move them from the highway. At least 38 workers were injured as police baton-charged them, lobbed teargas shells and fired rubber bullets to disperse the gathering. The injured were given treatment at nearby clinics and hospitals. Road communication resumed around 1:00pm, said Shah Mohammad. To avoid further violence, owners of 15 adjacent factories suspended production for the day, he added. In another incident, some 400 workers of Blue Seal Textile Mill at Sreepur of the district barricaded the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for nearly two hours protesting sudden closure of the factory. The workers claimed the authorities had closed the factory ahead of Eid to deprive them of festival bonus. The protest that began around 9:00am caused a four-kilometre tailback on the highway stretching from Maona intersection to Nayanpur. On information, industrial police and Shreepur police rushed to the spot and quelled the protest, assuring the workers that the matter would be resolved. Traffic movements resumed around 11:00am in the area. In Tongi, some 200 workers of Urobangla Sweater Factory demonstrated demanding an increase in the piece rate. The situation became tense when the protest led to an altercation between the workers and owners. Industrial police rushed to the spot and took the situation under control. Later, the issue was settled through a discussion in which the authorities agreed to increase the rate by Tk 5.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 08:50:53 +0000
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