BanglaBhoot
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BGMEA says survival at stake
FE Report
More than 50,000 garment workers went on the rampage in Ashulia Monday, forcing closure of at least 100 factories as protests over low wages turned deadly amid deep concern of investors.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse a sea of workers, turning the key industrial zone into a battle-field and halting traffic in the Dhaka-Tangail highway for four hours.
The violent protests for the third consecutive day have sent shiver down the chin of the manufacturers who are now alarmed over the "survival" of the country's biggest export earning sector.
Police said the trouble first erupted at the factories of Ananta Group, where 10,000 workers staged demonstrations, seeking a three-fold hike in their basic minimum monthly wages.
The unrest spread to Ha-Meem Group, which employs 26,000, where the workers were allegedly mistreated by the management. The labourers held protests and then walked off the factory.
Soon tens of thousands of workers joined the protesters after the owners of at least 100 factories suspended production and declared holiday for the day fearing large-scale violence.
The workers spilled on the narrow highway linking the capital Dhaka with the northern districts, turning the area into a " human sea" stretching miles from Ashulia to Baipail in Savar.
"There were tens of thousands of workers, protesting maltreatment of their colleagues and demanding minimum monthly salaries of 5,000 taka," Ashulia police chief Sirajul Islam said.
Islam said while most workers dispersed peacefully, several thousands turned violent, torching at least four cars, damaging dozens of vehicles and pelting stones on the glasses of their factories.
A top police officer said law-enforcers were forced to use batons and water canons, fire rubber bullets and tear gas shells to break up the workers.
Instead of leaving the highway, workers fought back by blockading the road for four hours until 6:00pm and throwing rocks and stones at police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion.
Unions said at least 100 workers were injured in the clashes. Police said several constables and officers were wounded. They won't comment on the number of injuries of workers.
Workers blamed police for the violence, saying the law-enforcers guarding factories in the industrial hub attacked them with firearms when they were peacefully demonstrating for higher wages.
The latest unrest comes a couple of days after the Vienna-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said the apparel salaries in Bangladesh are the lowest in the world.
It said poor working conditions and refusal of the factory owners to honour wage agreements have led to "frequent violence" in the industrial areas.
Garment workers - especially the entry level labourers -- get 1662.50 taka (25 dollars) as minimum monthly wage following a tripartite deal in 2006 among the government, unions and the owners.
Unions have demanded the minimum salaries be fixed at 5,000 taka and have asked the government's newly established minimum wage board to implement the hike as soon as possible.
Panic gripped the owners as the latest troubles forced shutdown of their factories for the third consecutive day. Angry owners held emergency meeting at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) office to discuss the situation.
In an evening statement, BGMEA said the manufacturers were "alarmed" at non-stop unrest in the country's main industrial areas such as Ashulia, Savar and Rupganj over the past 15 days.
"The workers are walking out of work, raising irrational demand. As a result, we are compelled to close down our factories," the influential industrial grouping said.
It said the manufacturers are "deeply concerned" as unrest in the workplaces could cripple the industry, shoo away buyers and entrepreneurs to other destinations.
The exporters were forced to spend 13.11 billion taka on air shipment between December and April to meet buyers' deadline, as workers troubles cost factories weeks of extra days, it said.
"We urge the country to understand the situation and help save the industry," it said.
Apparels made up 80 per cent of Bangladesh's 15.56 billion dollars export last year. The country's 4,500 plus factories employ some 3.5 million workers - most of them women.
Full blown RMG violence at Ashulia
FE Report
More than 50,000 garment workers went on the rampage in Ashulia Monday, forcing closure of at least 100 factories as protests over low wages turned deadly amid deep concern of investors.
Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse a sea of workers, turning the key industrial zone into a battle-field and halting traffic in the Dhaka-Tangail highway for four hours.
The violent protests for the third consecutive day have sent shiver down the chin of the manufacturers who are now alarmed over the "survival" of the country's biggest export earning sector.
Police said the trouble first erupted at the factories of Ananta Group, where 10,000 workers staged demonstrations, seeking a three-fold hike in their basic minimum monthly wages.
The unrest spread to Ha-Meem Group, which employs 26,000, where the workers were allegedly mistreated by the management. The labourers held protests and then walked off the factory.
Soon tens of thousands of workers joined the protesters after the owners of at least 100 factories suspended production and declared holiday for the day fearing large-scale violence.
The workers spilled on the narrow highway linking the capital Dhaka with the northern districts, turning the area into a " human sea" stretching miles from Ashulia to Baipail in Savar.
"There were tens of thousands of workers, protesting maltreatment of their colleagues and demanding minimum monthly salaries of 5,000 taka," Ashulia police chief Sirajul Islam said.
Islam said while most workers dispersed peacefully, several thousands turned violent, torching at least four cars, damaging dozens of vehicles and pelting stones on the glasses of their factories.
A top police officer said law-enforcers were forced to use batons and water canons, fire rubber bullets and tear gas shells to break up the workers.
Instead of leaving the highway, workers fought back by blockading the road for four hours until 6:00pm and throwing rocks and stones at police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion.
Unions said at least 100 workers were injured in the clashes. Police said several constables and officers were wounded. They won't comment on the number of injuries of workers.
Workers blamed police for the violence, saying the law-enforcers guarding factories in the industrial hub attacked them with firearms when they were peacefully demonstrating for higher wages.
The latest unrest comes a couple of days after the Vienna-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said the apparel salaries in Bangladesh are the lowest in the world.
It said poor working conditions and refusal of the factory owners to honour wage agreements have led to "frequent violence" in the industrial areas.
Garment workers - especially the entry level labourers -- get 1662.50 taka (25 dollars) as minimum monthly wage following a tripartite deal in 2006 among the government, unions and the owners.
Unions have demanded the minimum salaries be fixed at 5,000 taka and have asked the government's newly established minimum wage board to implement the hike as soon as possible.
Panic gripped the owners as the latest troubles forced shutdown of their factories for the third consecutive day. Angry owners held emergency meeting at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) office to discuss the situation.
In an evening statement, BGMEA said the manufacturers were "alarmed" at non-stop unrest in the country's main industrial areas such as Ashulia, Savar and Rupganj over the past 15 days.
"The workers are walking out of work, raising irrational demand. As a result, we are compelled to close down our factories," the influential industrial grouping said.
It said the manufacturers are "deeply concerned" as unrest in the workplaces could cripple the industry, shoo away buyers and entrepreneurs to other destinations.
The exporters were forced to spend 13.11 billion taka on air shipment between December and April to meet buyers' deadline, as workers troubles cost factories weeks of extra days, it said.
"We urge the country to understand the situation and help save the industry," it said.
Apparels made up 80 per cent of Bangladesh's 15.56 billion dollars export last year. The country's 4,500 plus factories employ some 3.5 million workers - most of them women.
Full blown RMG violence at Ashulia
