Garment worker injured in Gazipur protests dies; around 50 factories shut

A readymade garment worker who was critically injured during protests in Gazipur over demands for higher wages has died. Toufiq Sheikh, 21, died while undergoing treatment at Shin-Shin Japan Hospital in Uttara, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, more than 50 garment factories in Gazipur announced closures last night amid workers’ unrest and instability in the industrial belt. Some factories have announced a one-day closure, while others will remain shut for two to three days.

Toufiq was the son of Tabibur Rahman Tabi Khan of Chhaygharia village in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha. He lived in the Banglabazar area of Gazipur and worked at the local Laila Garments factory.

Toufiq’s relatives said he had been living in the Banglabazar area and working in garment factories for around five years. On Monday, while a workers’ protest was under way in front of Noman Group’s Territory Garments factory, Toufiq tried to record an attack on his mobile phone. At that point, the attackers turned on him and beat him up, leaving him critically injured. Fellow workers rescued him and admitted him to hospital, where he died yesterday morning while receiving treatment.

However, Mohammad Belayet Hossain, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP), said some outsiders had gone to a factory and pressured the authorities to shut it down. When the factory management refused, the outsiders clashed with the workers, leaving one worker critically injured. He later died.

No police personnel were present at the scene during the incident, he added.

More than 50 garment factories in Gazipur have announced closures amid workers’ unrest and instability in the industrial belt. The information was confirmed by separate notices issued by factory authorities last night.

Cotton Club (BD) Ltd. and Cotton Cloud (BD) Ltd. in the Kashimpur area of Gazipur have jointly announced a two-day general holiday. Their notices said the factories would remain closed today, Wednesday, and tomorrow, Thursday, in view of workers’ unrest, workplace instability and overall security risks in various industrial areas across the country over the determination and implementation of the minimum wage structure for the garment industry. However, employees of the security and maintenance departments will be exempt from the closure.

Meanwhile, Lee Fashion Industry Ltd. in Purba Chandra, Kaliakair upazila, has announced a one-day general holiday. According to a notice issued by its human resources management department, the relevant sections of all shifts will remain closed today. All shifts will resume normal operations on Thursday (5 November).

In addition, Panorama Apparels Ltd. in the Bhogra area of Gazipur city, Mitali Club and Jockey Garments in Kashimpur have announced three-day closures. Standard Group in Jarun, Konabari, has declared a two-day holiday. Montex and DBL have also announced two-day closures.

Apex Holdings Ltd. in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila has announced a one-day closure. More than 50 factories, including Ecotex Ltd., Cocola Food Products, Sadma Fashion, Hydroxide Ltd. and Interstoff in the same area, have also announced closures. Some of these factories will remain shut for one day, while others have opted for two days.

Jahangir Alam, an official of Lee Fashion, said the factory had been closed for two days because of workers’ unrest. As Friday is the weekly holiday, workers will get three consecutive days off. They hope the situation will return to normal during this period, he added.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Md Amzad Hossain said they had so far received reports of several factories being closed. However, they had also learnt that the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) had announced that factories should not be closed.