Workers Take to the Streets in Mirpur, Ashulia and Gazipur Over Arbitrary Blacklisting

Industrial areas in Mirpur in the capital, Ashulia in Savar and Gazipur have become tense over several demands. The workers demand a minimum wage of Tk 30,000, an end to unreasonable “blacklisting”, and rehabilitation of garment workers who were sacked. From yesterday morning, garment factory workers blocked roads and protested in the Mirpur 10 and 11 areas.

At one point in the afternoon, a large chase and counter chase and clash broke out in Mirpur 1 between a part of protesters and police and factory security guards.

According to police and eyewitnesses, angry workers took position at the Mirpur 10 roundabout and on the main roads of the Mirpur 11 area at about 10:30 am yesterday. This stopped vehicles completely on the important roads of Mirpur and caused heavy traffic jams. Office workers, students and ordinary pedestrians suffered greatly.

After 2 pm, an argument and scuffle broke out between security guards of Himalaya Garments, under Shah Ali police station, and the protesting workers. The situation quickly turned hot. A part of the workers coming from the Mirpur 10 side attacked and vandalised Himalaya Garments. They also vandalised the Baghdad Shopping Complex nearby. About 150 angry workers were at the spot at that time.

When police got the news and reached the spot, there were repeated chases and counter chases with the protesters. Later, at about 3 pm, the workers left the road and traffic in the Mirpur area slowly started to return to normal.

Deputy Commissioner of Mirpur Division Mr. Mohammad Nasir Rikabdar said unwanted vandalism took place in the market area near the shrine in Mirpur 1 after the workers left Mirpur 10. He said those involved in the vandalism will be identified quickly by analysing CCTV footage and strict legal action will be taken against them.

Our correspondent in Savar, Mr. Selim Ahmed, reports that the Ashulia industrial area in Savar has turned tense over several demands. These include setting the minimum wage at Tk 30,000, ending unreasonable “blacklisting” and rehabilitating sacked workers. At one point in the protest, a large chase and counter chase and clash took place between angry workers and police. More than 50 people were injured, including six police officers.

Considering the seriousness of the situation and to avoid vandalism and unpleasant incidents in factories, owners declared a holiday in 25 garment factories in Kathgora, Zirabo, Narsingpur, Amtola and nearby areas of Ashulia.

During the clash, three objects like hand bombs were recovered from in front of the New Age factory in the Nishchintapur area on the Baipail Abdullahpur road around noon. Additional Superintendent of Police of Industrial Police 1, Mr. Syed Faisal Islam, said three objects like hand bombs were recovered during the workers’ protest. He said several people were injured in the clash, including members of the Industrial Police. He said it could not be confirmed at once who carried or left these objects there.

He said Ashulia police station has been informed. He said a police team will come to the spot and take legal action in the matter.

Eyewitnesses said tension spread in various garment factories in Kathgora Bazar, Noyapara, Zirabo and Nishchintapur of the Ashulia industrial area from yesterday morning. Workers stopped work inside the factories, came out and started protests. They threw bricks and stones and carried out heavy vandalism at several factories, including Continental, AR Jeans and CW. Glass at AR Jeans and Continental was especially vandalised. The authorities of AR Jeans and other related factories had to declare a general holiday to control the situation.

From noon, angry workers took position in the Nishchintapur area on the Abdullahpur Baipail road and kept up the road blockade and protest. At that time, police and law enforcement members tried to disperse them to bring the situation under control and keep order on the highway and in the industrial area. There were chases and counter chases between the two sides. At one point, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to bring the situation under control.

There are reports that several workers and passers by were injured in this clash, including a police member.

Several workers, who asked not to be named, said their demands are to raise the minimum wage of workers to Tk 30,000 in line with the current inflation. They want the unfairly made “blacklist” to be cancelled at once. They also want a safe working environment and an end to sacking workers with or without reason.

Police Inspector of Industrial Police 1, Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, told journalists that factory authorities have declared holidays in several factories because of the unrest. He said extra law enforcement forces are deployed across the industrial area and the situation is being watched closely. He said there are reports of injuries but the first details are not yet known to him.

The workers alleged that factory owners are jointly making a “blacklist” by sacking many experienced workers without any reason. As a result, once a worker is sacked, that worker cannot get a job in any other factory. Angry workers decided to come out on the streets in such a reality.

Mr. Khairul Mamun Mintu, law affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre, said a worker who gets the minimum wage (now Tk 12,500) cannot run a family because of rising prices, house rent, medical costs and family costs. So he said workers have demanded to raise the minimum wage to Tk 30,000 because of rising prices. He said the factory authorities did not accept the demand of workers, so workers did not join work from the morning and started protests.

Superintendent of Police of Industrial Police 1, Mr. Mohammad Mominul Islam, said the situation is under control. He said 25 factories have been closed for a holiday because of this ongoing movement. He said several people were injured, including five to six police officers. He said the situation is normal now.

Mr. Rauful Rahman Parag reports from Ashulia that workers protested in Ashulia with various demands. These include setting the minimum wage of garment workers at Tk 30,000, stopping blacklisting and stopping job loss without reason. The protest that began yesterday morning turned into chases and counter chases with police and brick and stone throwing. Police fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

Four to five police members were injured. Authorities have declared holidays in at least 25 factories in various areas of Ashulia because of the worker unrest.

At noon, Industrial Police recovered three objects like cocktail bombs from in front of a Nasa Group factory in the Nishchintapur area of Ashulia. The Anti Terrorism Unit (ATU) has been informed.

According to talks with police and workers, workers of Naim Knitwear in the Zirabo area of Ashulia stopped work from yesterday morning, demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. Later they left the factory and started protests. At one point, they called on workers of several nearby factories to come out. At that time, bricks and stones were thrown at the nearby factories.

When the situation became hot, chases and counter chases between workers and police started. Workers of garment factories in Kathgora, Nishchintapur and nearby areas also protested with the same demand. A part of the workers took position on the Baipail Abdullahpur road and protested. At that time, there were chases, counter chases and brick throwing with police. At about 12 noon, law enforcement members chased the protesters and fired tear gas shells to clear them off the road.

Inspector (Investigation) of Ashulia police station, Mr. Harun Ur Rashid, said workers of Naim Knitwear protested in front of the factory in the morning, and police moved them off the road. He said Industrial Police had to use tear gas in the Nishchintapur area to bring the situation under control. He said the situation is normal now.

A woman worker of the New Age Group said work in their factory was stopped from the morning, demanding a pay rise. She said workers of several nearby factories came in front of their factory and asked the workers to come out. She said police later fired tear gas shells and scattered the protesters. At that time, the New Age Group workers also left the factory.

Superintendent of Police of Ashulia Industrial Police 1, Mr. Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, said holidays have already been declared in 25 factories because of the worker unrest. He said four to five police members were injured by bricks and stones thrown by protesters in the Nishchintapur area. He said one of them was hit above the eye. He said police had to fire tear gas shells to control the situation. He said the situation is under control for now.

Mr. Md. Abdul Mannan reports from Kaliakoir in Gazipur that thousands of people are flowing along the Dhaka Tangail highway in Kaliakoir. Hundreds of men and women garment workers are standing by the divider on one side of the highway. Some wear red, yellow, green and blue saris and some wear shirts and pants. There are shops on the side, a tangle of hanging wires above and stopped vehicles below.

A white private car is slowly passing, and trucks and buses are stuck behind. This is now the picture of the whole highway in the Kaliakoir Chandra Palli Bidyut, Mouchak and Sofipur areas. Looking at the flood of people and stuck vehicles, one can see that this is not just a blockade. It is the struggle of thousands of garment workers to survive for the sake of their stomachs.

The Dhaka Tangail highway has become tense over a one point demand to raise the minimum monthly wage to Tk 30,000. Workers are crushed by the unchecked rise in the price of daily necessities and the high cost of living. This continuous movement over the past few days has caused heavy traffic jams at various points on the highway. Passenger buses and goods trucks are stuck, and ordinary people and drivers are suffering badly.

A woman worker said in tears, “I run the machine all day. The money I get in a month is gone after paying house rent. Should I buy milk for my child or rice? My child wants to eat eggs, but I cannot give them. As a mother, I cannot bear this pain any more. So I have come onto the road today.”

Another worker said, “We did not come to vandalise. We want Tk 30,000, because we cannot run our families without this money. If we go to the market with Tk 200, we get nothing.”

Workers said they have to live on borrowing after the 10th of every month. They owe the shops, they owe the landlord, and they have to take loans with interest. One worker said, “I get my pay, pay my debt, and borrow again. I cannot get out of this cycle. My son’s school fees are due for three months. The teacher says if I do not pay, he will not be allowed to sit for the exam. As a father, what pain is bigger than this?”

The whole communication system has completely stopped because of the blockade by garment workers on the Dhaka Tangail highway demanding a pay rise. Long and unbearable traffic jams have formed as vehicles stay stuck for hour after hour on the highway. Police stand alert on one side of the highway, but it has become impossible to bring traffic back to normal in the face of the protesters’ strong and firm demand.

Drivers of stuck cars and trucks said their journey has been completely blocked for the past three to four days because of this continuous blockade, and they are suffering greatly. Thousands of ordinary passengers on the roads are living in inhuman conditions. Thousands of people, including women, children and the elderly, face a severe shortage of toilets, drinking water and food because they are stuck on the road for a long time.

Standing for hour after hour under the open sky or inside vehicles, their heartbroken cries and suffering have no end.

A mother passenger on a bus, holding a child, said, “I have been sitting on the bus for 2 hours. The child is crying. There is no food, no water, no toilet. Where will I go?”

A truck driver said, “I have been sleeping in the truck for 3 days. The goods are rotting. The owner is calling and abusing me. I also have a family.”

An elderly passenger said, “My legs have swollen from standing on the road. I asked for a little water, but nobody could give me any.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Md. Humayun Kabir Khan, central BNP joint labour affairs secretary and general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, spoke at a workers’ rally at the Palli Bidyut bus stand in ward 7 of Kaliakoir municipality. The rally demanded that a wage commission be formed for garment workers immediately and a respectable wage be set. It also protested the vandalism of factories and sabotage in the name of wages.