200 Bangladesh garment units down shutters as police, workers clash

About 200 garment units downed their shutters Savar and Gazipur, after police clashed with workers who were demanding minimum monthly wage of 8,000 Takas.

At least 60 workers were injured on Tuesday, reports the New Age newspaper.

According to the paper, owners of some 257 factories in the Savar zone announced closure of their premises on Wednesday in view of staggering workers' unrest. The decision was taken following a meeting with BGMEA last night.

Several hundred workers of different apparel factories at Fatulla and Sonargoan area in Narayanganj also absented themselves from work over a demand for a minimum monthly wage and withdrawal of termination of the sacked workers.

Agitating workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, but police baton charged them and cleared the area.

On November 4, the minimum wage board set 5,300 Takas for entry-level workers, a 76.6 per cent rise over the existing consolidated wage of 3,000 Takas.

Police and witnesses said garment workers from Ashulia's Baipail, Narsinghpur, Gazirchat, Nishchintapur and Shimultala areas took to the streets in the morning and staged demonstration barricading on different roads, including the Abdullahpur-Baipail one.

Police brought the situation under control by firing teargas shells and rubber bullets.

Mostafizur Rahman, director of Industrial Police, Ashulia, said the authorities closed 150 factories for the day due to the workers unrest in Ashulia, Zirani and Kobirpur.

He said additional police were deployed in the areas to fend off further trouble.

In Gazipur, the authorities shut down for the day eight apparel factories due to workers unrest, said Joydebpur police sub-inspector Saiful Islam.