RMG workers demonstrate, attack police line and block highway in Gazipur

Readymade garment workers, who have been demanding an increase in wages, have carried out an attack on a police line at Mouchak of Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur.

The agitated workers vandalised the gate of the police line, smashed the windows of the office and signboard on Tuesday morning.

Kaliakoir police station officer-in-charge Akbar Ali Khan said several thousand workers are demonstrating in front of the police line. Efforts are on to control them.

Police and witnesses said RMG workers started a demonstration at Mouchak bazar area this morning. They vandalised 10-12 vehicles on the highway at the time.

As the industrial police and thana police tried to control them, hundreds of agitated workers chased the police. Police take shelter at the police line at the Mouchak bazar area under Kaliakoir upazila.

The agitated workers carried out an attack on the police line.

Authorities have announced most of the factories in Gazipur closed from today, because of the workers demonstration going on for seven days. Though the factories were closed, workers demonstrated taking to the highway in different areas of Gazipur on Tuesday morning. This suspended traffic movement on the Dhaka-Tangail highway.

Talking to the industrial police and the workers, it was learnt that the workers of several factories from Mouchak and Telichala areas in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila started a blockade from 23 October with the demand of increasing their wages.

From there, workers’ protest then spread to adjacent areas including Naojor in Konabari, Bhogra and Chandana intersection of Chandana intersection in phases.

Workers started demonstrating taking to the highway in Mouchank and Telichala areas from on Tuesday morning. Besides, workers were seen demonstrating at Chandana intersection area in Gazipur city as well.

While there were a small number of vehicles plying amidst the blockade called by BNP that too stopped from 8:30am because of the workers' movement. And the workers kept chanting slogans demanding a raise.

Going to Konabari area on Tuesday morning, a huge banner was found hanging on the main entrance of Tusuka Group, the largest factory there. It reads, “Due to unavoidable reasons, all activities at the factory will remain closed till 2 November.”

MM Network factory in the same area has been announced closed for Tuesday only. Besides, closed notices were found hanging in front of a few other factories also.

On condition of anonymity, an official from a factory told Prorthom Alo that the factory has been closed down temporarily due to workers’ movement. They will be reopened as soon as the situation becomes normal.

Shariful Islam, a worker of the knitting section at the Tusuka Group factory said, “We receive a wage of Tk 8,000 to 10,000. It’s hardly enough to run our family. We are barely surviving on what’s left after paying the house rent. We now demand the minimum wage to be raised to Tk 23,000. The movement will continue till the demands are met.” 

Mentioning that the government is working on workers’ wage board but it hasn’t been finalised yet, Md Ashrafuzzaman, organising secretary of the National Garments Workers’ Federation central committee told Prothom Alo, “Once the finalised wages are announced, we’ll take the decision whether to accept it or not. Some troublemakers are destabilising the situation, turning it into an issue by instigating the workers.”

Officer-in-charge of Gazipur’s Bason police station, Abu Siddique told Prothom Alo that the workers are bringing out processions taking to the streets haphazardly at different locations. The number of workers is somewhat low today for the factories being closed. Attempts are on to bring the situation under control by consulting with them.