Arya News - Violence continues, 100 factories shut, police vehicle torched; wage board holds first meeting.
DHAKA – Following its first meeting yesterday, the new minimum wage board said garment workers would begin receiving wages under the revised pay structure in January, as protests demanding higher wages entered their fifth consecutive day.
Fresh clashes between workers and police were reported in Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar yesterday. Protesters torched a police vehicle in Savar and blocked key roads, forcing over 100 factories to suspend operations and declare holidays in Gazipur and Savar, said officials.
Meanwhile, District and Sessions Judge Syed Azad Subhani, chairman of the minimum wage board for readymade garment workers, said the new pay hike of the workers would come into effect in December this year.
“So, the workers will receive their increased wages in January,” he told reporters after the board’s first meeting in the capital’s Segunbagicha office.
At the next meeting, the board will discuss wage proposals from workers, factory owners, and other organisations, he said.
Amid the unrest, the government formed the board on November 1.
Babul Akhter, the workers’ representative on the board, urged workers to return to their workplaces now. He said many workers were already returning as the intensity of the demonstrations gradually declined.
Workers, who currently receive a minimum monthly wage of Tk 12,500, are demanding Tk 30,000. They say persistent inflation over the past years has eroded their purchasing capacity.
Speaking after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed claimed ordinary workers were being used in a political conspiracy and anti-state activities.
He said law enforcers had been instructed not to use excessive force despite injuries among police personnel. Warning that criminal groups would not be spared, he urged workers to ignore rumours and return to work.
PROTESTS
In Gazipur, workers demonstrated from around 9:00am in Signboard, Bhogra Bypass, Chandana Chowrasta, Konabari, and Banglabazar, according to police.
They blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Bhogra Bypass. Police and BGB members fired tear gas and sound grenades to disperse them. Traffic returned to normal around 12:30pm.
Over 100 workers gathered near Basan Police Station on the Chandana Chowrasta-Shibbari road. Police fired at least 10 sound grenades to drive them away. In Gacha, demonstrators took to the streets around 9:30am, triggering chases and counter-chases between protesters and police.
Later, police dispersed a gathering at Chandana Chowrasta, where people assembled to attend the gayebana janaza (funeral prayers without the body) of garment worker Toufiq Hossain, 35, who died after being injured during the unrest.
Leaders and activists of National Citizen Party and Sramik Shakti joined the event organised under the banner of Workers-Students-People.
Police asked the organisers to clear the road before the prayers began. An argument and scuffle followed when the organisers sought time to complete the prayers. Police then fired sound grenades.
NCP leader Ali Naser Khan alleged that police used truncheons and sound grenades, injuring at least 20 people.
However, Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Harun Rashid of Basan Police Station said he was unaware of the incident.
Executive Magistrate Arif Hossain said the administration was discouraging gatherings in view of the overall situation.
Toufiq from Gaibandha, who worked at Laila Styles Ltd in Gazipur, died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at an Uttara Hospital.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat yesterday, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury said those responsible for the death of garment worker Toufiq would be brought to justice as soon as possible.
In Savar, clashes broke out at Padmar Mor in Hemayetpur when police tried to remove protesting workers from the Hemayetpur-Singair road.
Witnesses said workers hurled brick chunks and police fired tear gas. Protesters then set a police vehicle ablaze.
Alia Akter, who works at an RMG factory in Ashulia, said a wage board had been formed, but workers must be clearly informed about how much their wages would increase. “The protest will continue until they are met.”
Dhaka District Police Superintendent Shamima Parvin said 30,000-40,000 workers gathered there. She alleged that protesters set fire to Savar Model Police Station OC Saiful Islam’s vehicle, seriously injuring him.
Three journalists were assaulted in Savar while covering the clashes: Star News correspondent Ahmed Sohan Siraji, Ekattor Television correspondent Raiyan Bin Amin, and cameraperson Md Uzzal Hossain.
Talking to the press, Sohan said a group of stick-wielding protesters attacked them while they were filming after noticing the Ekattor Television camera and logo.
In Narayanganj, several factory workers demonstrated in the Katherpool area of Sadar upazila. They tried to block the Hajiganj-Post Office road by setting fires, prompting police to fire tear gas and stun grenades.
Some protesters attempted to bring workers out of neighbouring factories. Chases and counter-chases ensued after police stopped them from marching towards Shibu Market on the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road.
Tarek Al Mehedi, additional superintendent of Narayanganj police, said six people were arrested after police efforts to persuade demonstrators to leave the place failed.
Over labour unrest, police filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act in Narayanganj, naming 21 people, including leaders and activists of Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League, and 1,000 to 1,500 unidentified others.
Mohammad Mahbub Alam, OC of Fatullah Model Police Station, said the case was filed early yesterday. He added that the six detainees were produced before the court, with seeking a seven-day remand for them.
In Mirpur, workers tried to take to the streets for a fifth day but were stopped by police. Closure notices were found at least 15 garment factories, while police remained deployed at key locations.
DMP Joint Commissioner Md Mahidul Islam said several people had been arrested and cases filed over road blockades, vandalism, and damage to public property.
Meanwhile, 24 BGB platoons were deployed in the industrial areas, according to its Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam.
Five were in Savar-Ashulia, 13 in Gazipur, and six in Narayanganj, including Chashara, the BSCIC industrial area, and Kanchpur Bridge.
[Our correspondents in Savar, Gazipur, and Narayanganj contributed to this report.]