Dhaka, Nov 5 (IANS) As many as 50 people, including law enforcement personnel, were injured, while more than 200 factories in Savar and Ashulia were forced to declare holidays as protests by garment workers in Bangladesh turned violent, local media reported on Thursday.
The protests continued across several industrial areas, with workers demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
Reports suggest that multiple areas, including Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Narayanganj, witnessed demonstrations, road blockades and confrontations, leading to the deployment of additional security personnel to curb the unrest.
Violence broke out in Savar’s Padma Mor area of Hemayetpur and subsequently spread to Ulail, where workers clashed with police in front of the Al-Muslim Group factory.
While workers pelted police personnel with bricks and stones, the law enforcement personnel used tear gas shells, sound grenades, and rubber bullets to disperse them. A vehicle belonging to the officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station was set ablaze, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.
According to Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen, at least 50 people, including policemen, workers and pedestrians, were injured in the violence. She said OC Saiful Alam also suffered serious injuries.
The unrest erupted after workers assembled near Padma Mor to press for their wage demands. Clashes broke out when police tried to remove protesters who had blocked the road, with the confrontation subsequently spreading to nearby areas.
Workers blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway, bringing traffic to a complete standstill in both directions and triggering severe congestion. Dhaka District SP Shamima said between 30,000 and 40,000 workers had assembled in the area from both sides.
Several factories in Hemayetpur, Ulail and nearby areas subsequently announced holidays amid the unrest.
Meanwhile, three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed in Savar and Ashulia to ensure security across the industrial belt.
In Gazipur, garment workers also blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Signboard in the Gacha area on Wednesday morning, halting traffic.
An estimated 2,000 to 4,000 workers took to the streets and hurled bricks and stones at police during a standoff. Police responded by firing tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters, Dhaka Tribune reported.
The workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, arguing that the existing minimum wage of Tk 12,500 is inadequate to cope with the rising cost of living.
Their other demands include the introduction of rationing facilities in every garment factory, protection of trade union rights, an end to arbitrary job dismissals and blacklisting, and justice for deceased workers.
–IANS
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