33 injured in Gazipur garment workers unrest
At least 33 people, including three members of the police, were injured in a clash between police and garment workers in the Masterbari area of Sadar Upazila in Gazipur on Monday. The clash erupted when police attempted to disperse the demonstration of the workers of Stylo Fashion Garments Ltd on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway around 10am. The workers gathered on the busy road to press home their demand for payment of wages and Eid bonuses.
The half-an-hour long blockade caused a huge traffic tailback. Police lobbed several rounds of tear-shells and also charged batons to disperse the workers from the street while the workers replied by throwing brickbats, leaving three policemen injured. The injured received treatment at nearby clinics and hospitals. Locals alleged that police also attacked the houses of the local people, and charged batons on innocent people. The agitated workers claimed that on Monday morning they still had not been paid wages for the month of July or their Eid bonuses, despite the factory’s Eid vacation being scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
They also claimed that factory authorities earlier promised them several times that they would be paid the wages and Eid bonuses before the beginning of the vacation. Prior to laying siege to the street, the workers smashed windows of the factory by throwing brick-chips. On information, police rushed to the spot and went to work to clear the road of the workers. Helaluzzaman, inspector of Gazipur industrial police, said although the demands of workers’ were rational, they had no right to cause suffering to the home-bound people by setting up blockades on the street. He also refuted the allegations regarding police actions against innocent people.
“Some workers entered the houses of locals for shelter so members of police ran through the houses,” he added. He said a discussion was being held between factory officials and representatives of the workers to settle the issue.
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